


They Spill, Unfound

by becca_the_quiet_one



Series: They Spill, Unfound series [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fighting, Glimmer takes the Failsafe for the heart of etheria, Mutual Pining, Re-write, ill add more tags later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24382273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/becca_the_quiet_one/pseuds/becca_the_quiet_one
Summary: For a split second, Glimmer swears she doesn’t exist. She is the tide slipping away from the shore. Receding from the gritty, hollow hole where something important used to be. This, whatever this thing is that makes her hurt, isn’t real.Until at once she is yanked back. Until It is real and everything hurts.Season five re-write
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), minor onesided Adora/Catra
Series: They Spill, Unfound series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836250
Comments: 173
Kudos: 115





	1. Chapter 1

Glimmer stops when she realizes the truth.

Not her heart. Not her feet. Not even the persistent pounding in her head that's bothered her for months.

For a split second, Glimmer swears she doesn’t exist. She is the tide slipping away from the shore. Receding from the gritty, hollow hole where something important used to be. This, whatever this thing is that makes her hurt, isn’t real.

Until at once she is yanked back. Until It is real and everything _hurts._

“The magic.” It doesn’t feel like she’s speaking, but her mouth is moving. “It’ll destroy anyone who uses the failsafe.”

Bow's face is a stoic grave she;s never seen before and suddenly, she feels a terror unlike anything she’s ever seen before. “And the only one who might be able to survive it is-”

“She-Ra.” 

The air gets sucked out of her lungs. Suddenly she’s desperate. She wants to run, far away from all this, back to when things were fine again. The old familiar ache in her chest wishes she had her mother to comfort her and tell her it’ll be alright. 

But nothing is alright anymore. 

The room collapses into chaos around her. Shadow Weaver and Aunt Casta are about two seconds away from ripping each other's throats out. Catra is snarling, howling, more feral than Glimmers ever seen her. Bow races towards them in an effort to keep the peace. God, someones going to get hurt there and she _can’t do anything._ All she can do is look at-

“Adora.” Her voice is so much calmer than she feels. “Adora, don't even think about it.”

She has her back turned to Glimmer, looking up at the huge towers glowing in front of them. Her spine is straight, her stance taught. She doesn’t answer.

“Adora!” She screams. It’s dread that fills her when Adora takes a step forward. “NO!”

The blonde stills and Glimmer knows she has to take this chance. She leans into her power and teleports.

“Please!” She appears in a cloud of glitter in front of Adora. “Just listen to me!”

Adora is stubborn, and brave. These are the qualities Glimmer has loved her for, and in this instant she hates her for them and the way she stares resolutely at the structure and refuses to even acknowledge her.

Her arms fly around her waist and her hands twist in Adoras shirt. She clings to her, tightly, and shuts her eyes against the chaos around them.

This is all her fault. She’d been stupid, so stupid to believe that simply power would ensure their victory. Stupid to not listen to the people that knew her best. Stupid to activate the weapon that brought Prime to Etheria in the first place. And now Adora was trying to die for it.

Adoras hands are warm and calloused as they come to her shoulders, and for a second Glimmer’s heart betrays her and she lets herself hope that maybe, maybe, she can fix this. Maybe there’s enough luck left in the world for them to come out of this together.

Glimmers eyes fly open when Adora presses a kiss to her forehead. “Glimmer, you know I have to do this.”

“No!” Glimmer clings tighter. “It’s too dangerous. Please, it doesn't have to be you!”

“I’m the only one who might survive it.” 

“You don’t want this.” Glimmer braces her feet against the ground. “I know you don’t.”

“It doesn’t matter what I…” Adora stalls, and Glimmer feels the weight of the world in Adoras eyes. “What I want. I have to do this.”

“We can figure something out!” It became something of an internal mantra on Primes ship, and having to say it now makes her shudder. “We always have. I know we can!”  
  
“There’s no time” Adora tries to gently pry Glimmer off. “And there’s no other way.”

“We’ll find one!” She doesn’t care what it takes. She won’t lose Adora again. “Please!  
  
“Glim, you have to let go.” She says, and yet she’s not prying anymore. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”  
  
“Nothing’s okay if you’re not there.” Glimmer steels her heart. This is not where she confesses because she won’t let them end here. But she’ll do anything to make Adora stay. 

Adora shudders, and for the first time Glimmer realizes the girl, not the soldier and not the fighter, the _girl,_ is crying. She’s hurting and It’s enough to make Glimmer sob too.

“I’m here, Adora.” The blondes tears fall onto her shoulder. “I need you.”

Adoras hands cup her face gently. Glimmer hesitates to relax her arms around Adora, still afraid she’s going to bolt. But her hands hold her like she’s precious.

Adoras smiling despite the tears in her eyes. There's the thinnest hint of a smile on her face, and Glimmer can’t quite place the look in her eyes but it feels like something between adoration and resolution. A memory, unbidden, springs to mind. Another way she’d looked at her, a million years ago. When her desperation to be important enough for Adora to remember gave way to pure unbridled relief. Adoras looking at her in much the same way now. A little older and a lot more weary, but Adora still looks at her like she’s personally hung every celestial body in Etheria.

Adora leans their foreheads together and Glimmer wants to sob at the way she _breathes._ Deeply, in and out, like she’s gasping for life and not just purpose. The sounds of the fighting around them falls away, and for a minute she just exists in Adoras arms.

“Okay.” Glimmer takes a deep breath, attempting to clear out the sobs. “Let’s get back up to the surface. We can get out of here and make a plan.”

“Glimmer… I…” 

Glimmer chest tightens, her heart quickens, her nerves shake. Is this…

“I’m so sorry.”

And then Adoras gone, throwing off her hands and bolting.

Glimmer wants to scream. Her rage flares and her face heats, and gods above she wants to throw a tantrum like a petulant child. But she is no longer young enough for that to be any kind of comfort, and maybe she never was. But she is a queen, and passive is something she is not.

So Glimmer squares her shoulders, stands regal as she stares at Adoras rapidly retreating form, and prepares to repeat the worst mistake of her entire life.

“You promised her!” 

Adora snaps to a halt, and she’s so still. She still stands mere feet from the failsafe and Glimmer feels like dying would be preferable to what she has to say. It’s killing her to say it and _she’s hurting Adora again._ But this time, there really is no other option.

The fighting really ceases this time. Even Catra stills in Bow and Castas arms, claws mere inches away from Shadow Weavers throat. All eyes are on Glimmer. But not the ones she wants. 

The instant regret had been enough to nearly drown her the first time she’d used her mother's death against Adora. Blue eyes had broken, and welled, and _oh god no, I didn’t just say that._ But she had, and if eyes were truly windows to the soul, then Adoras was reduced to dust. That time, she’d meant to hurt Adora. Now she was trying to save her. And yet, it hurt so much more. Still, she forces the words out.

“You promised my mom we’d take care of each other, right? Well we can’t do that if you’re gone!”

Adoras back hunches, shoulders shaking and all Glimmer wants to do is wrap her in a hug and make her happy again, but she can’t. Adora has to come to her on her own, or she’ll run again. 

“They were her last words!” Glimmer shouts. “That’s what she wanted you to know before she was gone forever!”

“So please,” Glimmer pleads. “Don’t be like me. Listen to her.”

“Stay with me.”

The world stands still. Heartbeats pound in her ears. Adora stands still as a statue, looking like she’ll break at the slightest touch. It's too quiet for the way Glimmer hates, utterly despises herself for saying that. Her revulsion is palpable, she can taste its bitter sting and it clouds her vision with tears. 

Adora sobs and Glimmer lurches, apologies ready to burst forth and beg forgiveness. But then Adora turns towards her, and Glimmer will swear on her life that nothing has ever been more beautiful than that moment.

She’s still crying, but for the only time ever Glimmer doesn’t care. She raises her palms in a defeated pose, calloused palms facing her. A tiny smile graces her face.

“I’m here.”

Glimmer wants to cry, weep like there’s no tomorrow because there might not be. But she’ll settle for giving Adora the tightest hug she’s ever received. 

She takes a tentative step forward, still afraid that Adora will vanish if she gets too close. But she doesn’t, and so Glimmer breaks into a full sprint.

She almost reaches Adora before her back erupts into flames and she blacks out.

______________________________________________________________________________

The world is black when she wakes up. 

Panic fills her chest immediately, because the giant glowing failsafe was _just_ there, and if she’s blind then she's never gonna see Prime defeated, or her dad's real eyes for the first time, or Adora give her perfect smile to someone in need.

She’s been knocked flat on her stomach, she realizes, and groans as she feels pain rush up her back. It’s nearly debilitating. She’s felt worse. She struggles to her hands, resting her weight on her arms. Burns scream down her back and her muscles ache. It’s tempting to simply lie back down and fall back into unconsciousness, but that’s not really her style anymore. So she struggles into a kneeling position, forehead nearly touching the floor.

Someone behind her is screaming, she can’t bring herself to care beyond the sudden pounding in her head. It’s all consuming, and she’s on the verge of losing herself in the pain before it’s Aunt Castas grunting yells that pierce her thoughts.

At once she recognizes both the deep needle-sting from her wound and the blackness in her vision. Glancing down, her fears are confirmed. 

_Dark magic,_ she thinks as the inky tendrils spill further out across the floor. 

She turns her head towards the source of the screaming. Aunt Castas throws spells at what appear to be chipped sorcerers, though her drawn face alerts Glimmer that she’s almost spent. Bow is beside her, reaching for arrows Glimmer knows aren’t there..

Another pained scream. Glimmer forces her eyes to move in it’s direction. It’s Catra, who’s just taken a blast to the face from-

She gasps as she watches Micah, _her father,_ shoot blow after blow of dark magic at the cat. It makes her heart hurt along with her body. She never got to know him like she should, but what she does know is that he’s too much like her. He’ll hate himself for ever using the evil substance.

From behind, Shadow Weaver shoots her own spells at him, disarming him long enough for Adora and Melog to jump on his back. She reaches out, desperate to do anything, but winces.

Her arm hangs limply at her side. She must’ve fallen on it when she was hit. She raises her working hand to the back of her head, and it comes away sticky with blood. There’s no way she can teleport, or even cast spells like this. She’s less than useless. In this fight, she’d only be blood in the water.

She’s been left behind again, she realizes. The others must’ve assumed she was comatose or worse, and hadn’t been able to wake her. They think she’s down, out of commission. And.. maybe she is. But there's still one thing she can do.

She can stop this, she realizes. She can fix her mistakes. And all it’ll cost her… is her life.

Glimmer stops. And considers her relationships in the middle of the battle raging around her.

Bow’s friendship is the deepest form of love Glimmer has felt since her mother's death. It was he who fell to running the rebellion and managing the Alliance while she mourned. And yet somehow, he still had it in him to be exactly what she needed. A shoulder to cry on at times, and at others a silent partner as she walked through her grief. He’d been there for her, always. A true best friend. And if she goes through with this, then she’ll never get the chance to be there for him the way he’s always been for her.

Her father will wake up and be alone. Sure, he’ll have his brokenhearted sister, but he’ll have to watch as the family he’d founded disappear into the shadow of a memory. And he’ll never get to know all that happened to her while she was gone. She won’t get to tell him about all her travels, or learn magic from him the way she’d always wanted to but never dared to share with her mother. Someone else will mention to him, offhandedly, that she was never going to take a King of Brightmoon, because her heart had already belonged to-

Adora. Just thinking her name nearly changes Glimmer's mind. Almost makes her forget her injuries and charge into battle alongside her. Makes her want to fight for the future she’s let herself dream of only in the dead of night or the sterile cold of space. Confessions, reciprocations, _endearments_ dance around the edges of her mind and she almost wants to cry. More than nearly anything, she wants to fully apologise for the awful things she’d said to her. The one she’d given had been so brief and not nearly enough, but somehow Adora still held her close and told her that nothing would ever separate them again. 

And if she can do that, fully apologise and be forgiven for her sins, then she can confess that yes, She-Ra may be the most powerful being in the universe, but it’s Adora that she fell in love with.

Then she thinks about all of them, broken and lifeless on the broken, jagged husk that used to be her home. About the citizens of Bright Moon, her people whom she’d sworn to protect, cowering in fear. About Prime using the power she’d tried so desperately to attain to end existence for entire planets. She thinks about her little, perfect homemade family lifeless on the jagged, barren wasteland that used to be her home.

It’s suicide, she knows. If there's even a doubt that She-Ra can withstand the magic of the Heart, then there’s absolutely no way that her body will ever hold up. But she’s dead either way. And enough people have suffered for her mistakes.

Glimmer didn’t get to hear her mother's last words. But they ring in her head now as she struggles forward.

_Take care of each other_

Behind her, that same broken family screams in tandem horror as she accepts the failsafe.

______________________________________________________________________________

She doesn’t remember what happens next. But when she wakes, it’s She-Ra who’s carrying her back to camp.


	2. Chapter 2

Glimmer gazes at her reflection in the mirror, and wonders exactly where it all went wrong.

On some level, she still expects to see the same messy bob-bangs she’d carefully cultivated since she was a preteen. Before, it’d felt like her long, shoulder length waves were not her own. They belonged to the stylists her mother constantly employed to keep her daughter looking “presentable”. She understands her mother now, with years behind her, in a way she didn’t before. She’d been teaching her, even then, how to take care of herself. Just in case.

But preteen Glimmer was perhaps even more impossibly reckless than she is now, and so one night, suffering and irate after yet another argument with the mother she can only now realize was overstressed and overprotective for a reason, she’d resolved to finally take some agency in her life. She was ready for the scoldings, the anger, the _disappointment_ as pink-purple strands cascade down her shoulders and fall limp to the floor. 

But Angellas eyes had watered instead of narrowed, and Glimmer's rebellious spark blew clean out of existence. 

Glimmer gets it now. She looked far too much like her father, and the shock of it silenced her mother's wagging tongue. And the old wounds her mother nursed, the ones that never quite healed, grew ever deeper that day.

It’d felt something like defeat, when nearly a week before her coronation she’d approached those same stylists her mother kept on hand, and asked, begrudgingly, for help in looking regal. It should’ve been natural to her, shouldn’t it? But the stylists had welcomed her back with open arms, and helped her decide on something that didn’t make her want to throw up when she looked in the mirror.

Besides, she’d soon learn what true defeat felt like, smothered by glowing green eyes and the thinly-veiled threat to everything and everyone she’d ever loved.

Glimmer takes a deep breath. The failsafe glows a soft white, ethereal and yet commanding attention. Her hand attempts to grasp it, yet it phases through her hand as if made of light. It’s just a symbol, she knows, to mark the carrier of the code. That sequence is inside her now, flowing through her veins. It waits for activation. And now, Glimmer realizes, she waits for the end.

She shakes the thoughts from her head. What’s done can’t be undone. There’s no time to panic over her death. All she can do now is prepare, and be regal about it.

So, she takes stock. It’s the middle of the night, and she really should be sleeping but she can’t. For one thing, that would mean leaving the little alcove of the hideout she finds herself in. But Perfumas sobs echo softly in her sleep. To see her would mean Glimmer would start crying too. And if she does that, she won’t be strong enough to do what she’s taken on as her duty. She won’t be able to do it if she accepts that she’s scared.

She can hear Frostas ice punches against the stone walls of the cave. _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._ Glimmer's heart hurts. Frostas old enough to rule a kingdom, and to understand loyalty and devotion better than any of them. But she’s too young to have so much rage. There’s not enough room inside her tiny body. Glimmer prays she’s not sacrificing important to make space for her hatred.

No one’s told Netossa and Spinderella yet. Glimmer doesn’t want to spoil the tender reunion they’d just gotten. She shudders to think of their reactions.

Glimmer sighs, and sinks down. Her arms wrap around her legs, and she buries her face in her knees. She doesn’t regret taking the failsafe. She knew it would leave her friends reeling, knew that this would be her final, utter betrayal of their feelings towards her. She’d expected anger, desolation. Not the silence she’s received.

For a second, she considers asking Bow and Adora to join her. But sleep is the one time she gets respite from their silence. They’re angry at her. Furious, heartbroken, betrayed even. They don’t know what to say to her and Glimmer doesn’t know what to say back. Maybe there’s nothing left to say. 

When she’d been on Horde Primes ship, she’d been unsure as to whether Bow and Adora would come for her. She’d hurt them too badly by activating the Heart. Even if there was a way for them to find her and rescue her, would they want to? 

Those thoughts are absurdly silly to her now. She should’ve known Bow and Adora would do anything to get her back. And now, she's going to the one place where they can’t follow.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep by now?” 

Glimmer props her head on top of her knees and looks around. She sees no one.

“Drop the illusion, Catra.” She sighs. “There’s no need.”

“Did that code-thingy replace your brain, Sparkles?” Catras disembodied voice scoffs. “I thought there was nothing you wanted more than your revenge on me.”  
  
It’s Glimmers turn to scoff. “We’re _friends,_ Catra. I only want to kill you when you’re being annoying.”

“Do you really think we’re friends?” 

Glimmer pauses. Even a few months ago the answer would’ve been _hell no._ But being isolated together has a way of complicating your relationships. Catra had suffered, deeply, because of her decision to save her. And she’d gotten them all out of more than a few tight situations since then.

“I think so.” Glimmer finally says. “I don’t really have a lot of experience there.”  
  
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Catra snarls. Glimmer jumps. “That’s rich coming from you."

“Excuse me?” Glimmer raises her arms, defensive, and scans the room for any movement.

“You have friends.” There’s a punch to the wall left of her head. She ducks. “You have people who care about you.”

“What about Scorpia and the water princess, huh?” Glimmer feels something wrap around her foot and drag her away from the wall. “Did you even think about them? How they’re gonna feel when they wake up? Or was it just you and your stupid sense of justice?”

“Catra, stop!” She pleads. She won’t hit her back. She can’t even see her.

“And you care oh so fucking much about your friends, right?” Catra sneers. “They saved you and you’re throwing it right back in your faces.”

“Do you not know how much they love you?” There’s the sound of glass breaking behind her. Catras shattered the mirror. “Or are you too stupid to see it?”

Glimmer rises to her feet, backing up. “I won’t fight you, Catra. If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.”

There’s a shove at her back. She falls to the floor. “Oh, because you’re so honorable?! Yeah, real classy of you to abandon people when they need you!”  
  
Glimmer tries to stand, a hand on her chest shoves her back down. “You think you get to do that?! Just leave people behind because you feel like it?!”

“It’s not-” Glimmer groans as she lands on her arm. She-Ra had healed it earlier, but it still hurts like hell.

“You had the power to change all of this! You could’ve done _something_ sooner but you didn’t! Because you’re a coward who doesn’t care about anyone! Not even yourself!”

“I didn’t-”

“Shut UP!”

Catra kicks the wall. Glimmer pulls herself tighter into the fetal position. The old, plucky headstrong Glimmer would’ve fought back. But that Glimmer was younger in years and experience, and isn’t carrying the key to Etherias salvation. Nor was she sorta-friends with the person currently trying to beat her up.

Perfuma would be proud, she thinks as she hears Catra snarl.

“You have people who love you! Look up to you!”

Glimmer summons a blast, but her throw sends it sailing straight through the air, hitting nothing and landing on the other side.

“You had everything, Sparkles! And you’re throwing it away for nothing!”

Glimmer waits for the blow. But it doesn’t come. Instead, she opens her eyes to find Catra, visible and with her arms thrown around Melog. The cat blinks at her, before burying its face in Catras fur.

There’s still adrenaline pounding through Glimmers veins, but her heart clenches. She reaches out towards Catra, placing her hand on her shaking shoulders. 

She bats it away. “Don’t.”

“Catra…”

“Don’t… don’t be nice to me right now, Glimmer. I just tried to fight you and I… I’m still so _mad_ at you and I hate it so please…”

Catra doesn’t finish. She doesn’t need to.

Silently, Glimmer drops to the ground, pushing her back against Catras. It’s not how she wants to spend her last few hours. But Catras is going to live a lot longer than she is, and part of Glimmer wants to help get her started on the rest of her life. The position now brings bad memories to the forefront of her mind. Cold, lonely ones where the only spot of comfort was her rival. There’s no walls left between them now.

Melog curls around them, throwing her legs over Glimmer and resting her head in Catras lap. _You’re not going anywhere,_ she seems to say.

Glimmer doesn’t hate Catra. Not anymore. Love is much too strong a word, and like doesn’t feel right either. But she respects her. Not her past decisions, gods above. But Catra is proud, and stubborn. And they both grew up in a war. When she looks at Catra, Glimmer sees herself, but without the love she’d grown up with. Glimmer grew up with her eyes open to beauty, and kindness, and a sense of righteousness. Catras had been forced closed to all that, and she grew up cold, calculating, and deeply damaged. Glimmers not too proud to admit she’d have done a lot of the things Catra had in her position.

“Ya know,” Catra says quietly, stroking Melogs fur, “None of this would’ve happened if I hadn't opened the portal in the first place.”

Glimmer shakes her head. “Nope. Not playing that game. If we started that we’d be here all night.”

Catra chuckles darkly. “I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

Glimmer stops, ponders. “Do you think… maybe you should find somewhere.”

“You telling me to get lost, Sparkles?” Her voice is teasing but Glimmer feels ears droop against her shoulders. “I knew it would happen eventually but not so soon.”

“No! I mean,” Glimmer sighs. “What do you want when this is all over, Catra? When there’s no more war to fight?”

Catra doesn’t answer. 

“Has anyone ever asked you that before?”

“... Adora did. Once. I couldn’t answer her either.”

“That’s because she doesn’t know what she wants.” Glimmer almost chuckles, then sighs. Her hearts too heavy. “There’s so much you can _do,_ Catra. I know you want to make up for everything. And you will, I have no doubts about that.”

“But you’re also gonna get the chance to move forward. You can do whatever you find you actually want. And if you don’t know, that’s okay. You get to learn.”

“How do you know?” Catra asks, her voice soft as a feather.

“I don’t. But that’s what I’ve always imagined life would be like without the Horde. I want to think it’s true.”

“That sounds… really beautiful.” Catra admits. “Do you know what you want, Sparkles?” 

Glimmer freezes. “Catra…”

“I know.” Catra hangs her head. “But… if there's even a chance that you don’t die, what happens next?”

“I… I am going to die.” Glimmer shuts her eyes to avoid the prinking tears. “It’s silly to hope otherwise.”

“You’re the queen of silly.” Catra states. “Just humor me.”

“... I’m the Queen of Brightmoon, actually.” Glimmer responds. “So I guess… I keep ruling there, figuring out how to do that in peacetime. And I’m good at it.”

Gods, what would that even be like? Making decisions without the constant threat of destruction? Not having to choose between gaining ground or the safety of her people?

Catra prods. “And…?”

“And… my dad and I are close.” She sighs. “If that’s even possible now.”

“Hey, this is _your_ fantasy.” Catra shrugs. “Anything’s possible. Keep going.”

“That’s… that’s it.” Glimmer chokes out. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s not gonna happen. I’m going to take the failsafe to the Heart and… then I’ll be gone.”

“You know you can’t hide anything from me, right?” Catra chuckles. “And definitely not from Melog. So get it off your chest.”

“Really? I’m disappointed.” Catra replies. “Because I’ve seen the way you look at Adora.”

“I look at her the same way I look at everyone else.” Glimmer defends. It doesn’t even sound true to her own ears.

Catra full on laughs. Glimmers never heard her do that before. It’s a nice sound, she decides. “Sparkles, I loved her long before anyone else did. You can’t pull that kinda crap with me."

Glimmer can’t say anything, because now the tears are streaming down her face.

Catra continues. “I wish I could say that I understood why you loved her. But I don’t. I just hope it’s different from the way I felt about her. She deserves that much.”

Glimmer wants to respond, and tell her that Adora deserves _everything._ Every little thing that makes her happy, Glimmer wants it for her. Adora could ask her to turn traitor tomorrow and she’d do it. But Adora would never ask her that. And maybe that's why Glimmer fell so hard.

She’s only ever told Bow about it, and whatever might’ve been listening when she whispered it to herself in the dead of night. 

“She’s kind.” Catra adds. “Way too kind. And stupid, and brave, and so _good._ And I loved her and I hated myself for it. And… I took it out on her. I’m not proud of it. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her if I have to.”

“But we both know she’s already forgiven me.” Catra finishes. “Because she’s just… like that, seeing the good in everyone. That’s part of why you love her too, isn’t it?”

“I… I want her.” The words feel like they’re getting ripped out of her chest. It's where she’s held them close for so, so long. “She makes me feel… I don’t know if there’s even words for it. I feel… _seen._ Like she sees the worst parts of me and doesn’t care.”

“And she makes me want to be better.” Glimmer sobs. “She makes me want to be good, and to fix everything so she can just be _happy_ for once. So we can be happy together. I want… I want to be her future.” 

“But I’ve fucked up so bad.” Glimmer has to stop, has to breathe but she doesn’t. The words fly out of her faster than she can think them. “I told her not to accept the failsafe because she had so much to live for. And then…”

“And then you turned into Etherias biggest hypocrite.” Catra nods. “And she’s giving you the silent treatment.”

“I don’t wanna die with us on bad terms.” Glimmer sniffles. “But I’ll never regret taking it. Not if it keeps everyone safe.”

“You know that’s exactly what she was trying to do, right? You’re not stupid Princess, I know you know that.”

“I couldn’t let her die.” Glimmer wipes her tears with one hand. “Not for my mistakes. Not for me.”

“Hey, I thought we weren’t gonna play the blame game.” Catra lightly scolds.

“I know, I know.” Glimmer takes a deep breath. She’s cried all her tears. “Catra, I need to ask you something. A favor.”

“Ugh, and I’m gonna say yes because you’re… dying.” Catra groans. “Typical princess.”

“Bow and Adora… might never forgive me.” Glimmer swallows hard. “Or maybe they will after I’m gone. But I want _you_ to forgive me, Catra.”

“If it’s about the failsafe, I wasn’t mad in the first place, I… probably would’ve done the same thing.” Catra grumbles. “I’m gonna miss you, and I hate that you did it, but I respect your decision. Sorry for trying to beat you up over it.”

“Thank you, Catra.” It’s good to know that at least there’s one person left that doesn’t hate her. “But it’s not about the failsafe. It’s about Shadow Weaver.”

Glimmer feels the full-body shake that goes through Catra, and more deeply than ever regrets her decisions.

“What about her?” Catra huffs. “And unless its punting her off a cliff, then no dice.”

“I’m sorry.” “For working with Shadow Weaver. I never would’ve if I’d known… what she did to you.”  
  
“You did know, Sparkles. You knew what she did to Adora.” 

Glimmer winces. The few times she’d crept into Adoras bed for comfort, she'd always been wary. Calling out to Adora from across the room, she'd always shock awake, and her hands would dart under her pillow for the dagger she kept there. Glimmer would never ask about it. The way Adoras face flushed and her eyes shifted downwards was enough explanation. But Glimmer’s always had ideas. She was just too blind and too anger to actually care about them.

“But… I get it. I’d have done anything to beat me too.”

“That doesn’t make it right.” Glimmer hesitates. “I… I’m sorry, Catra. I should’ve…”  
  
“Y’know, I think that’s the first time someones ever apologized to me.” Catra chuckles. “But it’s not your fault. She has a way… of making you feel like you’re the one who’s being crazy by questioning her. Like you’re completely on your own in your delusions. But you’re not. She only makes you feel like that because she withholds all the information until the last second.”

“She… makes you think she cares about you.” Catra breathes out, harsh and short. “But she never does.”  
  
“She only cares about power.” Glimmer states.“I wish I could’ve seen that sooner.”

“It took me awhile to see it too.” Catra leans her head back on Glimmers shoulder. “Maybe I did earlier, and I just didn’t want to accept it.”

“You wanted her to love you.” Glimmer states. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“But she hurt me. And I didn’t deserve that.” Catra flushes. “I’m starting to learn… I’m allowed to want better for myself. That wasn’t love, what we had.”

Glimmer takes a sharp breath in. “Catra, this is so, so weird for me to say, but I’m proud of you.”

“I appreciate that, Sparkles.” Catra flushes. “Now never say that again. I have a reputation, you know.”

“A reputation… god, I don’t even wanna think about what yours is.” Glimmer laughs.

Catra pokes her in the side. “Yeah, well at least mines not being a self-sacrificial idiot.”

It’s not funny. Not even a little bit. But Glimmer bursts out laughing anyways.”

“And the biggest hypocrite in Etheria!” She shrieks, doubling over. “All that work leading the rebellion! For nothing!”

Catra nods, faux sagely. “Your legacy is being a lovestruck fool. You die as you live.”

“Yep.” Glimmer sighs, satisfied. “That’s me.”

They sit in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of distant fire their only accompaniment. 

It’s freeing, Glimmer realizes. She feels better after talking to Catra. She almost wishes… god, add it to the list but she wishes she and Catra could’ve been closer. Wishes they’d had more time to do that.

“Well then.” Glimmer says. “This has been fun, but I’m about to doze off. Any other last minute confessions you'd like to share?

“Um. Yes, actually.” 

Glimmer fakes a deep, dramatic sigh. “Out with it!”

“Well, if we’re airing everything out…” Catra hesitates.

“Go on.” Glimmer nudges. “Not like you’re gonna get another chance.”

“I don’t expect you to ever, ever forgive me. I’ll never forgive myself.” 

Oh. Glimmer's brief spell of mirth goes chilly. She hangs her head at her chest. She knows what Catras is going to say. She’s not ready to hear it, she won’t be ready in the next thousand years to talk about it. But she may as well. She’ll never hear it if she doesn’t

“I’m sorry about your mom, Glimmer. I’m so, so sorry.”

Glimmer stays silent.

Catra continues. “There’s nothing I can say. I don’t have any excuses, I don’t even have the words for an explanation. All I can say is that I’m-”

“If you say sorry again, you’re taking a glitter blast straight to the face.”

Catra blinks up at her, confused.

“I won’t lie to you, Catra. I was mad at first. The only way I could fall asleep was thinking of all the ways I was going to make you pay.”

“You should’ve.” Catra buries her face in Melogs fur. “Why didn’t you?”

“Because I don’t hate you. And I don’t blame you.”

“But… why?” Catras voice is small, meek. Glimmer doesn’t have to wonder far to guess why.

“Because of Adora.” Glimmer brings her hand up to cradle the side of her face. “I… I was mad at her too. Not nearly as much, let's be real here. But the first few weeks, when I was willing to do anything to make it stop fucking hurting, I blamed her a little bit.”

“I’m so ashamed of this, but… I thought she should’ve done more. Said more. Been more. Anything that would’ve stopped her.”

“But-”

“Don’t talk right now Catra, let me finish.” Glimmer takes a deep breath. “But I know Adora, and I know that she never gives up. And she’s too stubborn to accept what she doesn’t like. That’s why she’s She-Ra, that's why I love her. And that’s why I _can’t_ be mad at you anymore.”

“I know Adora must’ve done anything, everything to keep her from… from sacrificing herself.” Glimmer swallows. “I don’t know what she did exactly. I don’t want to. It hurts too much. But if she really, truly tried everything and it didn’t work, then my mother made her choice.”

“And the only person I can be mad at for her being gone,” Glimmer finishes. “Is herself. But I can’t be mad at her either. I just miss her, everyday.”

“She wouldn’t have had to make that choice if I hadn’t opened the portal.”

“And you wouldn’t have had to open the portal if Horde Prime hadn’t chased us into an alternate dimension in the first place.” Glimmer rolls her eyes. “I can do this all night kitty, I suggest you stop now.

Catra turns to look at her. There’s the constant apprehension in her eyes, like she's afraid someone will attack at any given moment. But there’s something else in her expression too. Clarity, maybe. Gratefulness, relief. Maybe a little bit of bastard thrown in for flavor.

It’s just how Catra looks, Glimmer realizes. She smiles. Hopefully, Catra will grow into it. She’d really like to see that.

“Well then.” Catra stands, arching her back. Glimmer hears a pop. “It’s late, and I’m a little emotioned-out. You should sleep.”

“I probably won’t.” Glimmer admits

“You should try.” 

Catra pauses. Her face morphs back into something distrustful and wary, before she relaxes, muscles and tendons giving way to peace.

“Ya know Sparkles, I’m really glad we got the chance to do this. But you’re wrong about one thing. Adora does know what she wants. Or at least she did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all left such nice comments on the last chapter! Could you... maybe... do that again...?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanna thank Say_Anything (freezingmyblitzballs on tumblr) because... well, I was not in a great headspace yesterday, when I was hoping to get this up. Thanks for being understanding dude, and for being generally awesome. I really appreciate it.

She wants to see Bright Moon again.

It won’t be the same glittering palace of light. No one’s been there in months, the Rebellion had to abandon it nearly immediately after she’d been taken. If it’s not infested with clones and bots, then it’s likely fallen into disrepair. The gardens overgrown, the rooms gone dusty and dark. More likely than not, it’s been ransacked and looted by those desperate to survive.

This is the more pleasant option. She shudders to think of her home crawling with clones and bots, and the syncing footsteps that echo down the halls of her youth.

She picks at the fraying ends of her clothes. Besides her spacesuit, she hasn’t changed them since the last time she was in Bright Moon. Her eyes look across the table she’s seated at. Bow and Adora face away from her, eyes set on the plans and maps Entrapta has set up. Their eyes are steely cold when they glance through her.

Her clothes aren’t the only thing that hasn’t changed, apparently.

“Now that we can confirm the presence of Horde Prime on Etheria,” Entrapta states, bouncing on her hair, “We can only assume that the network connecting the chips to Prime has only gotten more complex.”

“Why would we assume that?” Catra tenses beside her, the way she always does when Primes mind control is brought up.

Entrapta beams. “Each person brings a totally unique collection of neural pathways to the collective! It’s like two spiderwebs connecting together, and then another and another and another an-”

“Okay!” Perfuma claps her hands together, grinning. Glimmer notes the vein popping in her forehead. “We get it, Entrapta. How long will it take for you to come up with a program to disable it?”

At this, Entrapta stops bouncing, instead stroking her chin with a lock of her hair. “It’s hard to say really, for each minute we sit here more and more people get chipped. I’d have to build in extra predictive ability for the program, but that could take time.”

“Extra time wouldn’t be a bad thing.” Frosta fiddles with a piece of ice in her hands. “I mean, we don’t have any kind of strategy yet, right?”

Frosta has a point, Glimmer thinks. 

“Since when do you care about strategy?” Glimmer teases.

Frosta doesn’t respond, and ducks her chin lower. 

Oh. She’s…

Oh. 

Glimmer looks away, ears burning.

“How much strategy can we really plan?” Perfuma asks. “Besides Entrapta, we'll all... er, _most_ of us will be out fighting.”

She’s become something of an elephant in the room, Glimmer realizes. No one here wants to talk about what’s going to happen to her.. That won’t do. They don’t have the luxury of ignoring what they don’t like.

“We need everyone in that fight.” Glimmer says, breaking her silence. She ignores the way they all look at her like she has two heads. “We can’t take any unnecessary risks.”  
  
Bow grumbles something under his breath. She doesn’t catch what he says, but it wounds her all that same.

“Spinnerella and Netossa will be there, but due to her injuries it’s unlikely that Spinerella will last very long.” Glimmer continues, shuffling pieces on the makeshift map. “Netossa refuses to be separated from her, so they’ll likely have to be shifted back to the rear.”

Glimmer can’t blame them. She doesn’t like to think about it, but their fate can only be decided in two ways. If the rebellion doesn't win, then it’s all over for them. For everyone. And they’ll die together if they have to.

She shakes her head. No time for these thoughts. 

“Shadow Weaver and Castaspella are out gathering what they can for spell ingredients.” Glimmer traces the winding pencil lines her aunt had drawn. “We don’t know how much they’re going to find, but we should assume it probably won’t be much. Still, with most of Mystacor now using dark magic, we need them more than ever.”

_ Which is incredibly unfortunate,  _ she thinks but does not say.

“And you?” Catra looks up at her quizzically. “Who’s going with you to the Heart?”

And how fitting it is, that the person whom she had once despised more than anything is now the only one willing to look her in the eye?

Glimmer winces. 

“I… go alone.”

The room explodes with movement. Bow jumps to his feet, yelling something she can’t comprehend. Perfuma gasps and clutches Frosta, who hisses and struggles against her hold. Catra remains seated, yet digs her claws into her palm. And Adora-

Rises calmly.

“Everyone settle down.” Adoras voice is cold and domineering, commanding control of the situation. Glimmer is helpless to listen, and the room follows suit, anger settling.

For the first time in days, Adora looks straight at her. Her eyes are steely, devoid of the warmth they usually hold. 

“Continue.”

It’s the first word she’s said to her since Mystacor. “We need everyone at the Spire. I can’t pull anyone away just to protect me.”

“Except you, right?” Bow snarks. Glimmer flinches.

Adora lays her hand on Bows shoulder. “You’re not helping, Bow.”

He huffs but stays silent.

Adoras talking like a commander, Glimmer realizes. Not like a friend.

“How do you intend to protect yourself?” Adora keeps her voice level, clear as day.

If it was anyone else, Glimmer would be insulted. Maybe she should still be, because Adora was the one who taught her half the moves she knows anyways.

Still, she holds her tongue. “I can handle myself.”

“But you’re holding the Failsafe. We can’t afford to risk that.” Adora shakes her head.

Frowning, Glimmer picks up one of the models from the table in front of her. She-Ras victorious wooden grin almost feels like a product from another time. Still, she focuses hard on the doll, drawing a circle above it with her free hand. With a tap of her finger, the model disappears into a puff of sparkles.

“I can teleport objects now, without bringing myself along.” Glimmer states as the doll reappears in front of it’s likeness. “It’s… a recent development. I think the failsafe messed with my connection to the moonstone.”

“That’s entirely possible!” Entrapta pipes from her side of the table. “The fusion of magic and the moonstone could definitely become feasible with the addition of first ones tech!”

Entrapta sounds  _ much  _ too excited about that, Glimmer decides.

Adora picks up the doll, studying it. “And when were you planning to tell us this?”

Glimmer narrows her eyes. “You haven’t exactly been very talkative lately.”

Adora downright glares back at her, finally dropping the commander facade. Glimmer glares back. This is bad, really bad. The last time tensions were this high between the two of them, they’d both lived to regret it. Still, Glimmer feels the words bubble in her throat.

“... Anyway,” Perfuma chuckles nervously, breaking their deadlock. “Good news, I’ve successfully cultivated an herb which will help those chipped regain access to their spiritual chi.

“They’re going to need a lot more than just herbs to recover, Flower Princess.” Catra retorts, rolling her eyes. Perfuma huffs.

“Which means we need to act as soon as possible.” 

“Let's not waste any time then,” Glimmer resigns, “Send whoever you want with me. We’ll go tomorrow.”

There’s a flicker of pain across Adoras face, her muscles contract to chase it out but it takes root in her eyes. Glimmer feels it spread through her own whole body.

“Will there be anything else, your majesty?”

“I…” 

God, how did she let things with Adora get this bad? They can’t end like this, can they?

But Glimmer won’t apologize for keeping her safe, for keeping them all away from death's door. And as Adoras eyes bore into her and the rest of her friends move away from the table, the thought that perhaps she would approach that space alone, truly alone, begins to feel more and more real.

“No, nevermind.”

_________________________________________________

It’ll be quick, Glimmer supposes as she hastily assembles supplies for a meager breakfast, before slinging the bag over her shoulder.

She’ll be back before morning, she thinks as she tiptoes around her sleeping friends, heart nearly stopping when she almost trips over Frosta.

No one will ever notice she was gone, she celebrates as she slips out of the cave, unseen.

The night is remarkably calm, and a little chilly as she trudges through grass. Her boots crunch slightly as she walks, destroying the fragile frost that built up during the night. 

She is not lost in these woods, nor is she afraid of what may lurk inside of them. She’s walked these ever-changing woods too many times as a child. No matter how far she went, no matter how many steps she took, she always seemed to end up right where she needed to be.

The ever-present thrum of energy in her body grows stronger with time. She’s a long ways away from where she used to be, needing constant recharging, but she still sighs with relief. It's like a deep, warm hum from an old friend. 

The Moonstone knows her, and it welcomes her home.

As she crests the top of the cliff, it’s sheen seems to grow stronger, beckoning. She breaks into a sprint. 

When she reaches the edge, Glimmer finally allows herself to weep for her home.

The world below her is a sea of green, unnaturally and sickly. It streams from the windows she’d peered out of as a child, and chokes the garden she’d cultivated her dreams in. The palace itself is sickly white, and the clones that roam it are deadfaced and soulless.

And yet, the moonstone stands proud. Defiant. It glows in a soft pink-yellow luster, uncaring of the world around it. 

“Long time no see.” She calls out through watery sobs. “Miss me much?”

She’s not expecting a response, and she doesn’t get one. She casts a half-domed spell to rest against as she sits, gazing at her birthright.

This will be Glimmers last sunrise. She sighs. She wants to let herself have this, wants to enjoy the last new day she’ll ever have.

But looking at her home brings back old memories. And everything that once felt sugar sweet stings like acid. 

If things were okay right now, she’d still be asleep. Maybe she and Bow and Adora would’ve had a sleepover. She’d usually wake up with her arms wrapped tight around Bows legs, and then he’d complain for an hour that his legs were asleep while she and Adora laughed. Then they’d all get pancakes and bicker over what was the best topping. Bow always insisted on honey, Glimmer argued passionately for whipped cream and syrup. Adora, ever the opportunist, would sneak bites of both while they weren’t looking.

She gasps for air as she violently shakes her head. She doesn’t want to think about it. Doesn’t want these memories to break her before she even begins.

“I wanna go home.” She whispers, tears falling on the grass beside her. “I don’t want this.”

It's an admission, a weight off her soul. She won’t admit it to anyone else. History won’t know that she ever said them. She’ll be subject to scrutiny after she’s dead. But she hopes somewhere, sometime, someone will hear her story. They’ll look at their friend, their whole world, and understand.

The quiet she gets back is comforting but stifling, so she evens out her gasps for air and tries to savor them.

Suddenly, the crunch of branches behind her alerts her to the fact that she's not alone.

Heart in her throat and blasts at the ready, she jumps to her feet, scanning behind her spell. It would be futile to fight and to impossible to win. There’s nowhere to go but down. Oh gods, why did she think this was a good idea?

She very nearly drops to her knees in relief when it’s Bows face that pops out from behind a tree.

He downright  _ beams  _ at her before sprinting over and wrapping her in a hug. “Adora! She’s over here!”

“Bow?!” She shrieks “What are you doing here? And why are you hugging me?”

Bow pulls back to look at her, huge tears welling in his eyes. “You were gone and I thought… I thought…”

“Oh, Bow.” She pulls him back in. “I’m sorry, I thought I’d be back before anyone else was up.”

Adora appears in She-Ra form. She releases it once she sees Glimmer, but her face remains tight.

“We thought you snuck out so you could go to the Heart alone.” Adora may look emotionless but Glimmer still hears the relief in her voice.

“I’m sorry I made you think that.” Glimmer holds Bow a little tighter, then extends her arm out to Adora. “Listen. I know you’re both angry, and there’s so, so much we need to talk about. But I love you both so, so much, and I wanna explain myself. Will you let me do that?”

Cautiously, Adora approaches them, before seizing them both in a massive hug. Glimmer's face gets pressed into both of their chests and she smiles until she feels tears on her hairline. She looks up curiously.

“I’m still mad.” Adora looks at her, curiously like she’s realizing something important. “But I’m so, so glad you’re okay.”

Glimmer smiles before burying her head back into the embrace. She squeezes them, them lets go. As soon as their arms fall, she misses them. It doesn;t matter that they’re still standing right in front of her.

“Okay, let’s sit down and talk about… this.” She gestures to the mark on her chest. “I’ll cast a protection spell.”

The pink dome stretches over them, and Glimmer sits cross legged across from her two best friends, who have now rummaged through her pack looking for snacks.

Bow catches her looking at them. “What! Being really concerned for someone really builds up an appetite!”

Glimmer giggles at Adora, busy stuffing her face full of cereal bars. She’s missed this.

She waits a few minutes, until the two of them have had their fill.

“Guys… I understand why you’re angry with me. You have every right to be.” Glimmer professes. “But please, know that I took the failsafe because I activated the Heart in the first place. It was my mistake and I’ve never regretted anything more.”

“I brought Prime here.” She continues. “It’s because of me that so many lives have been lost already. I can’t bring them back. I wish I could, but I can’t. The best I can do is make sure he can’t hurt anyone else. I’m just sorry that I had to hurt you to do it.”

Neither of them speak, Adora refusing to meet her gaze at all.

The silence is drowning her. “Please, one of you say something.”

“You told me you’d be there, Glimmer.” Bow reminds her, quietly “You told me that you made a mistake with the Heart, and that you’d be there when I decided to forgive you."

“And I did forgive you. I don’t know how, but I did.” Bow hesitates, but continues. “But now you won’t be around at all, and I… I don’t think I can forgive you for that.”

It’s exactly what she expected to hear. That doesn’t make it hurt less.

“I can’t apologize for taking it.” Glimmer responds, meeting his eyes. “Bow, I don’t expect you to forgive me for this. Believe me, leaving you two behind is the hardest thing I’ll ever do. But I want you to be all that you can be.”

“Maybe one day you’ll wake up and decide that archery is stupid and that you’d rather devote your life to raising sheep and only wearing long robes.” Bow gasps, offended, but she continues. “I want you to have that option. I want you to have any option you want. I know you’re a fighter because you love it, but I want you to be able to love other things too."

“You’re so kind, Bow. You’re the kindest, most generous person I’ve ever met.” Glimmer reaches over and takes his hand. He doesn’t flinch. “And you’re my best friend in the whole world. If I had a week I couldn’t list all the ways you’ve been there for me and all the reasons I don’t deserve you.” 

“We deserve each other.” Bow sniffles, then realizes. “Wait! Not like that!”

Glimmer giggles, then takes his other hand. “You’ll be okay without me, Bow. I promise.”

Bow grins, weakly. It’s a poor imitation of his trademark huge grin, but she’ll take it.

“Okay.” He says.

For a man of so many words, somehow he always knows exactly what to say. She throws her arms around his shoulders, and he throws his around her waist, and neither really feel like letting go.

But Glimmer is hyper aware that they aren’t alone, and one more broken heart is too many.

“Hey, Adora.” She sighs. “I know you’re mad. And you have every right to be.”

Adora says nothing, staring resolutely ahead.

Glimmer presses on. “I’m a huge hypocrite. And generally an awful person for what I did to you. Everything I did to you.”

“I don’t even know where to start.” She sighs, releasing Bow from her hold. “But… my mom is probably a good place to start.”   


Adora flinches, and Glimmer already feels defeated. “Adora… I hate myself for saying that to you. For making you feel like it was your fault. I swear on my life and hers, that it wasn’t.”

“She made her choice to close the portal. And she knew full well what she was doing. She trusted both of us, all of us to take care of each other. I’m the one that messed that up.”

“You were trying to protect me from my mistakes when you tried to take the failsafe.” Glimmer reaches toward her friend. “But I couldn’t let you do that for me.”

Adora slaps her hand away. “And you thought this was better?!” 

Adoras ferocity makes Glimmer jump. To her credit, Adora slightly relaxes. But she still looks furious.

“I have to watch another Queen of Brightmoon die, Glimmer!”

Glimmer watches the all the fight drain out of the love of her life. It’s like watching a star burn out. 

“I have to… I have to watch  _ you  _ die Glimmer. And the fact that there’s nothing I can do is  _ killing  _ me.”

It’s killing Glimmer too, both literally, and in the way she watches Adora hurt.

“But you’ll be alive!” Glimmer exclaims. “And life will finally be worth living!”

“It already was, Glimmer!” Adora yells, then sighs. “You… I don’t want a new life if you’re not in it.”

“Don’t say that Adora.” Bow warns. “Don’t you dare say that.”

“It’s true.” Adora persists, crossing her arms over her legs. “I can’t imagine my life without you, Glimmer. I don’t want to either.”

What comes to mind is that sooner than any of them would like, it won’t be imaginary anymore.

“Maybe… maybe She-Ra can stop Prime, and you won’t even have to-”

“Adora.”

Adora sinks her head further. “Yeah, I know.”

Glimmer hesitates. “Listen. I know… you worry way, way too much about me. It’s just who you are. It’s okay. I stand by what I said earlier but… if you wanna come with me to the Heart, then I won’t fight you on it.”

Adora doesn’t pick her head up. “That's a really double edged sword there.”

“I know.” Glimmer sighs. “You have to promise to go back to the fight after…”  
  
“Don’t say it.” Adora squeezes her eyes shut. “Please.”  
  
“Not saying it doesn’t make it not true.” She murmurs. Still, she’s hurt Adora enough. “Adora, they need you.”

“Don’t you need me too?” Adoras eyes are deep, too deep. It’s too much. “You told me you did, when you took the failsafe.”   


“Was it a lie? All those things you said?”

“Never.” Glimmer can’t help herself, and throws her arms around Adoras shoulder. “I meant every last word. I could never have done any of this without you, Adora. Not the Alliance or becoming queen or escaping Prime. None of it.”

One of Adoras hands comes up to shyly clasp her forearm. “Glimmer… I’ll go with you. I… I have to make sure you’re safe.”

Glimmer chuckles. “You’re trying to buy time, aren’t you?”

It’s not a question. Adora nods anyways

“It’s okay,” Glimmer confesses, “I am too.”

They stay within their little bubble for awhile, and when the sun rises, it’s not quite as glorious as Glimmer was hoping. It’s a little cloudy, and the brightness of the green washes out some of the spectacular orange and violets.

But her head is leaned on Adoras shoulder, and Adoras head is on top of hers. She’s holding Bow's hand as he sleeps next to her. Her sides hurt from laughing and her belly is full, and the air is clean.

As far as sunrises go, this makes for a pretty fantastic last one.

___________________________________________________________________________

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, let me know in the comments whether you think Glimmers gonna die or not. It won't change the story either way (this isn't game of thrones) but based on the ones I got last time I'm assuming that exactly 0% of you do XD


	4. Chapter 4

She’s not good at goodbyes.

She toys with the idea of writing letters to leave behind, but it doesn’t solve the problem. How do you fill an entire lifetime’s worth of experiences in just a few dozen words? Symbols on paper just don’t carry the specific timbre she’s looking for.

She can’t express how grateful she is to Perfuma, for willing to be the first member of the Princess Alliance, with pens and ink and she can’t give Frosta all the advice she’ll need on growing up with just a few scratches on paper. It’s not enough.

She hasn’t known Scorpia for very long, and getting dangled off a high bridge doesn’t count. Nor, she hopes, does punching her in the face. But Scorpia has proven herself to be devoted, loyal, and wholeheartedly kind. If she was here, Glimmer likes to think they’d have a conversation about bravery, something Scorpia has in spades. But of them all, Glimmer knows Scorpia will be the one who will feel the least impact of Glimmer's absence. She will mourn, wholeheartedly, because her heart is much too big. But she will go on.

Mermistas first impression made Glimmer think she had walls up. And especially after the fall of Salineas, she does. But there's a certain kind of strength she possesses, allowing herself to be vocal about her displeasures. And when it counted, she’d always put them aside so easily. She has a sense of righteousness that Glimmer's own moral compass could never quite stand up to.

So what does she leave behind for these people who’ve impacted her life in such a way? What does she say to make her sacrifice just a little bit easier not just for them, but for her family too?

Glimmer sighs, looking around her small area. She doesn’t have much in the way of personal possessions anymore. If they still exist, they’re back at Bright Moon. If not, then this is what they’ll have to remember her by.

She unclips her mother earrings and sets them down on top of her freshly made cot. They lie neatly next to the wooden comb Perfuma had made her a few days ago, and her cracked, almost broken tracker pad. The tiny carving Bow had done of her rests by the pillow. She debates whether or not to leave Entraptas earpiece but decides against it

Glimmer frowns. This doesn’t feel like her whole life, surely this can’t be it? 

She hesitates for a moment before summoning her father's staff. The handle is cool and smooth in her hands, familiar. She hugs it to her chest before carefully setting it down. She doesn’t know if her father will even want it back at this point, but she still feels satisfaction in being able to return it to him.

And then she stands. In the end, this is what she leaves behind for her friends. A few broken knickknacks and the fading scent of her bedsheets. The remnants of her temporary life rest on her temporary bed.

But in the end, something of her will live on beyond this.

She reaches up, and gently pulls the golden circlet from her head. She holds it in front of her. Her reflection shines back, slightly bruised and tarnished. The white stone gleams in the morning light. Caught her private reverie, Glimmer presses her lips to it.

She ghosts her fingers softly over the dips and dents. Then she places it softly, gently down on the pillow, and turns to face the end.

______________________________________________________________________________

Perfuma and Entrapta can’t look her in the eye, and Frosta clings to her legs. Somehow it’s Seahawk that gives her the most touching goodbye.

He extends his hand for a shake, then seems to think better of himself. He yanks her in for a hug instead.

“Thank you, Queen Glimmer,” He says without his usual bravado, “For being the best crewmate I’ve ever had.”

Then all four of them are gone. Privately, Glimmer misses them already.

She tries to talk Bow and Catra out of coming with them. It does not go well. 

The First Ones temple that leads to the Heart is imposing, despite the fact that it’s ruined and covered in vegetation.

Bow and Catra each spare her a cautious glance, and step inside. Glimmer pauses, and takes a deep breath. She holds, letting it cycle through her lungs before breathing out. Her last time tasting fresh air.

Adora hasn’t stopped staring at her since they left. She looks away when Glimmer turns to her.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Glimmer reaches for her hand. “I won’t be upset if you decide to go with the others.”

Adora forces a grin that doesn’t reach her eyes. “I’m with you til the end, Glimmer.”

She gives Adoras hand a squeeze. “Okay.”

What else is there to say, really? They don’t get the luxury of “I love you”s.

Glimmer steps inside the temple. Her eyes adjust slowly to the relative darkness.

“Well?” Catra snarks. “Lead the way, Princess.”

The hallway ahead of her is dark, but the failsafe in her chest glows stronger with each step. Glimmer feels the power that thrums underneath her feet, the pulsing core beckoning her closer.

Not her, she realizes. The code. She wonders, for a split second whether Etherias magic yearns to be free.

“So…” She starts, hoping to break the terse silence between all three of them. But she realizes that she has no idea what to say next.

The next few hours proceed in roughly the same fashion. Glimmer feels… antsy. Tense with nothing to relieve the stress she feels.

Her friends shouldn’t be here. They should be above ground, protecting their other friends and the planet. They should be fighting for their home, not for her. But she can’t handle another fight right now. So instead she holds her chin high and her back straight. The very model of a martyr.

The thrumming is stronger now, so vibrant she can almost hear it drone. She glances around to see if the others hear it too.

Catra seems to be the only one affected, absentmindedly scratching at her ears as though they hurt her. Bow keeps his eyes glued to the tracker pad, watching for any rogue signals or updates from the surface. Nothing so far.

Adora stares ahead blankly, almost robotically. The stiff movements of her arms and legs, and the way she occasionally darts her eyes down to her and right back up make Glimmer hurt.

Adoras in more pain than she’s ever been in, she realizes. And she wants badly to comfort her and tell her it’ll be alright. But her only comforting words still empathize the fact she’s going to die. And that might just be the thing that finally breaks them all. And they can’t have that.

Is this really how their story together ends? Silent and awkward? It can’t be…

Suddenly, there’s a huge banging noise ahead of them at the same time Bows tracker pad begins lighting up and beeping frequently. His face pales.

“It’s a monster.” Glimmer feels a cold hand of dread grasp her insides.

Adora grunts, summoning her sword and heaving. “I got this.”

Panic seizes in Glimmers chest. Her fingers think before she does, and suddenly a pink bubble encases her friends.

Catra hisses. “What the hell Sparkles?!”

“Glimmer, what are you doing?” Bow shrieks.

“I told you, I won’t let anyone die for me.” Glimmer heaves, feeling knives in her chest and tears in her eyes. “Not you.”

Adora charges towards her, full force with her sword. The sheer terror almost causes her to drop the spell. The overwhelming power behind it nearly drops her to her knees. But she stands, trembling.

“Glimmer! Stop!” Adora bangs her fists on the spell now. “Don’t do this!”

“I have to!” Glimmer yells back. “I’m keeping you safe!”

“This isn’t right!” Bow screams. “Think about what you’re doing!”

She won’t respond to that, won’t think about the fact that this is her last conversation with her favorite people in the entire world.

“You’re my best friends.” Glimmer says calmly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Thank you so, so much. For everything.”

“No!” Catra scratches violently at the bubble, shrieking. 

Bow hits the tips of his arrows against the wall, trying desperately to crack it. She knows that he knows, that he won’t. He tries anyway.

“We can figure something out!” 

Glimmer freezes. For a second, she's thrown back to that terrible moment, standing in front of Adora and begging her to not do exactly what she’d done minutes later. What she's moments away from doing now.

“Please.” Adora gives one last bang with her fist before slumping against the sides. “Let me figure out  _ something.  _ Nothing’s okay if you’re not there.”

Adora is  _ begging.  _ It’s such a shock that Glimmer nearly drops her composure.

“I need you. Please, Glimmer… I need you.”

Suddenly it hits her just how  _ badly  _ she doesn’t want this. She wants to drop the spell right now. Charge into battle alongside them one last time against this vicious monster that stands in the way of her destiny. She doesn’t want to be alone. She… she doesn’t want to die, she wants to go home. She wants to have sleepovers and sunrises and just five more minutes with her best friends, even if they hate her.

But she has a different responsibility now, and this is surely not the last monster she’ll face. She can teleport, and they are far too precious. Their destinies are at a crossroads now.

“I’m sorry I keep breaking our promises.” Glimmer feels herself choking up, sorrow squeezing in. “I’m sorry I brought Prime here. I’m sorry for everything I did to you and I’m sorry about my mom.”

“Please, you have to know that it was never, ever your fault. This isn’t your fault either.”

Now the tears spring free. “There’s not enough time for me to apologize for everything.I love you all, so much. You were the best friends I could’ve ever asked for. I could never have been the person I am now without you. Please, please try to forgive me for this.”

She’ll let herself be selfish, just this once. Maybe it’ll balance out the terrible thing she’s about to do. She presses her forehead against the wall of the spell, draws the circle with her free hand as her friends scream and fight. She closes her eyes, burns the sound of their voices into her memory and carves their faces into the backs of her eyelids.

“Adora, I love you.”

And then they’re gone. And Glimmer is finally, truly alone.

___________________________________________________________________

Being teleported by someone else is almost worse than being along for the ride, Catra decides

Her breath is vacuumed out of her lungs and it  _ burns  _ for half a second before her knees hit hard ground and she falls over. She reacts immediately, jumping back into form and taking in her surroundings.

They’re just outside the Spire, she realizes. She can hear the sounds of battle not too far from them. 

Bow looks angrier than she's ever seen him. The words  _ Bow  _ and  _ violence  _ almost don’t correlate in her mind but watching him throw his bow to the ground and snap his arrows over his knee is frightening. Every broken piece seems to fuel his rage more and more.

Her old instincts kick in.  _ Where’s- _

Adora is frozen, eyes wide and nearly petrified. Her mouth hangs open like a fish. It would be funny if… if that just…

“No…” Adora clutches her hands over her ears. “No. No no no no.”

The sound of it seems to break Bow from his rageful trance. He looks down at the arrow in his hands with horror. He jumps back, and reaches for Adora at the same time Catra does.

But then she hears it. His voice sneaks into her ears, travels down her spine and coalesces into the nape of her neck. She freezes, her blood turning to snake venom.

The Heart. Entrapta. Forgiveness. It all swims in her brain until she feels like she’s in front of him, drowning again.

It all turns to buzzing, eventually. And when the buzzing disappears, there is only silence, and…

“Oh no.” Bows voice cuts through the fog. “No!”

She wants to respond but she  _ can’t move.  _ It’s wrong, this is all wrong. She’s back on Prime ship and-

“Adora!”

It cuts through the fig her mind creates, and she snaps back to the present, takes in her surroundings.

Adora.

Adora  _ breaks.  _

She’s screaming, sobbing, pounding on the ground like it’s taken something from her. And in a way, it sort of has.

And Catra can do nothing but stare. She’s known Adora for her whole life, but this… this is new. And it breaks her shriveled, mangled heart into pieces.

She sinks to her knees in front of Adora, as Bow wraps his arms around the blonde in a frantic attempt to calm her down. It won’t work. She’s never seen this before, but she knows Adora and she knows it  _ won’t work. _

She reaches out for Bow, because she knows what she has to do. And it's something she should’ve done a long, long time ago.

“Bow, I know I’ve never given you a reason to, but I need you to trust me.” Her hands grasp tighter but she makes sure to sheath her claws. “Take Melog, go upload the program. Finish what Entrapta started.”

Bows hands grip her elbows. “I can’t just leave her here! And what about you?!”

“I’m…” She hesitates. “Look, we promised a long time ago that she and I would look out for each other. It’s time I start making good on that.”

Bows eyes soften and she  _ hates  _ the way he looks at her, with all that respect and satisfaction.

It’s pride, she realizes.

“I’m glad we’re friends, Catra.” He squeezes where his hands meet her arms. “Take care of them.”

“I will.” She manages the tiniest smile back.

She pulls her hands off his shoulders. He spares one long look at Adora, and Catra almost wants to spare the grinding of his already broken heart. But she can’t, so she watches him bolt towards the crater instead.

She turns back to Adora, finally sedated but limp. She almost doesn't recognize her without the overwhelming energy she exudes.

“Adora.” Her voice is forced calm. “Adora, listen to me.”

She doesn’t respond.

“Adora!” Forgiveness be damned, sometimes she just wants to shake the stupid out of that blonde head. 

“Listen. Prime... “ She hesitates around the words. ”He said that every rebellion forms around a beacon of hope. And… he figured out that you were Glimmers and he used it against her.”

_ You were mine too.  _ She doesn’t say.  _ You still are. _

That bridge has long since burned. They’re rebuilding it, sure, but it’ll never carry that kind of weight ever again. So Catra holds back those particular words, and says these instead.

“He was right. But he was also very wrong.” She forces a smile on her face, it feels too fake and she drops it. “She’s yours too, isn’t she?”

It brings a fresh wave of tears and Adora nods.

“And you’re conflicted because… because you love her.” She ignores the blurriness in her eyes. “But you just can’t stop saving people, right? I hated you for it but I get it now. They’re… worth saving."

“What do I do?” Adora whimpers. She looks at Catra, really looks at her in a way she hasn’t in a long time. “Catra, what do I  _ do?” _

For a split second, she almost tells her to stay. The ugly, diseased voice in the back of her head whispers that this is her chance to keep Adora with her permanently. This could be the start of their forever. 

“Adora.” Catra lets her name roll off her tongue and wishes, just a little, that things could’ve been different. “Go.”

Adora stares blankly at her, chest still heaving with sobs. Then, slowly she reaches an arm out, cautious and shaky.

A few months ago, this would’ve been her dream. Adora, weak and broken at her feet. Separated from everyone she’d left her for. She’d have accepted the hug and stabbed her in the back, just to feel a little less angry.

Instead, she wraps her arms tightly around Adora and lets herself be held. Adora just keeps crying, getting tears on her fur. Comfort isn’t something she excels in, so she just holds her, maybe a little too awkwardly.

“Okay, that’s enough.” She says so gently she isn’t sure it came out of her own mouth. “You gotta let go now.”

“Yeah.” Adora sniffles, but she tries to even out her breaths. “Yeah, okay.”

It takes another minute for either of them to let go, but eventually Adora rises to her feet.

She’s a sight really, hair askew, eyes red and puffy, clothes torn. Her face is a mask of pure determination and it seems to filter down through her whole body, surging into golden light.

Catra blinks, and She-Ra stands before her.

She whistles into the distance, because no matter which side Catras on, Princess stuff will always be  _ ridiculous.  _ Then she turns to Catra, and she abruptly understands why all of Entraptas old data was so fascinated with She-Ra. She is powerful, of course. But the eyes that shine down at her are gentle, and somehow, she feels  _ safe. _

“Thank you, Catra.” It’s Adora who smiles at her. She’d know that tiny grin even if she was half blind. “I mean it.”

Catra shrugs, more carefree than she really feels. “Yeah, well someones gotta smack some sense into you when you’re being stupid. Guess this one was my turn.”

She feels the beat of wings before she actually sees the flying horse, who says nothing to her. That’s fair. She’s not really sure how to break the ice there either.

Adora looks at her, eyes hesitant.

“I'll be okay.” She urges. “And I’ll keep them safe.”

Adora nods, and then Catra watches her leave.

She’s a long way away from where she used to be. 

__________________________________________________________________

Catra is immediately glad she didn’t send Bow into this fight. She has a begrudging respect for him, he wields the weapons he creates with a startling accuracy that scares her sometimes. But long range attacks can only go so far.

She’s beginning to learn how to recognize her own feelings, and  _ horror  _ is the one that comes to mind as she watches Micah drain the life out of Adoras friends.

_ My friends,  _ she corrects herself,  _ they’re my stupid friends now and its time for me to step up and be one. _

“Hey! Sparkles Senior!” She calls out from her perch near the edge of the Spire. “You and I have some unfinished business!”

The gaggle of clones immediately advances towards her. She unsheathes her claws, and crouches, ready to fight her way in.

Micah clenches his fists, then releases. It stops the clones in their tracks, and they turn to him with confusion.

“Have you finally repented, Little Sister?” Micah asks smoothly. His voice, not Primes, Catra realizes with relief. “Horde Prime is always ready to welcome you back into his light."

“Oh believe me, I’m planning on telling him myself where he can stick his light.” Catra narrows her eyes. “My business is with you.”

Micah scoffs, a smooth veneer in his voice. “I have no business other than to serve Horde Prime. He has taken away my pain and replaced it with warm light.

Catra shakes her head. “See, that’s what I thought too. You’re being just as stupid as I was.”   


She chuckles. “And you’ve got at least once thing left that is  _ definitely  _ your problem.”

For a second she thinks she sees normal eyes,  _ Glimmers eyes,  _ flash in a sea of green. Its as much of an opening as she’ll ever get.

She pounces, claws out, and runs towards the sorcerer. If she lives, she’ll berate herself later for thinking a full-on frontal assault was a good idea. But hey, normal rules don’t exactly apply here. She’s dealing with the man who spawned  _ Sparkles, _ for gods sake. Impulsive might just be the best decision.

She hisses as she’s instantly tackled to the ground by a few clones. Two of them pin her arms to the ground with their feet, and another on her neck. She struggles, hissing and spitting. Their faces are cold but seem to smirk back at her.

On the inside, she sneers bigger.  _ Perfect. _

Micah draws near her, almost within range of her claws.  _ Keep him talking. _

“You’re never gonna win this.” Catra jeers. “Prime will fall here, today.”

“She-Ra can no longer help you.” Micah clasps his hands together and draws ever closer. “Prime has found a way to overcome his greatest weakness.”

The boot on her neck presses further. She chokes. “Not her.”

“Oh, you mean my daughter?” Catras whole body stills for half a second. 

Its only an instant, but it’s enough for Micah to step  _ just  _ out of range and sneer. “She’s a failure. She’ll never make it to the Heart, and Prime will rein eternal.”

Then he takes another step back and Catras stomach drops. “Brothers, prepare the chip.”

“So what?! You’re just gonna walk away?!” She screams, forcing herself to sound angry and not scared for her life. “Come on and fight me!”

“There is no reason for bloodshed.” He intimates calmly. “Soon you will be reunited with Horde Prime and find true peace.”

Catra heaves, world spinning with her panic and anger, vision going dark.her throat tightens, chills run down her arms. She can feel her heart in her throat.

“Oh trust me, you’d much rather have me dead,  _ Micah.”  _ She spits out. “There’s something you don’t know about me.”

He looks at her with condescension, like he’s humoring a child's whims. “Oh, and what is that?”

Catra sneers. “I’m the reason Queen Angella is dead!”

Micah is deadly silent. Then he looks down to her, eyeing her as though he can feel the stomach-turning spikes of ice and shame running down her spine.

And then he laughs.

____________________________________________________________________

The green rot behind Glimmer feels like a needle down her spine, and it only pushes her to run faster. It’s almost not fast enough.

She’s faced three monsters so far, and she’s only taken minimal injuries. She marvels at herself. If she’d been just a little younger, she’d probably have taken all three of them head on.

But there’s no time. She’s teleported past all three, each time hoping it wouldn’t be her last.

But as she reappears in a grand chamber, she knows it’s time to bid those familiar sparkles goodbye.

The Heart of Etheria is huge and pulsing bright. She can’t even really see the shape, solely because of how blinding it is. The black cube that surrounds it is massive and imposing.

She takes a tentative step forward. The thrumming waves in the air around her grow impossibly stronger.

She hesitates.

Every decision she’s ever made has landed her here, facing her destiny at the hands of an ancient superweapon. And she hesitates.

It’ll hurt, probably. Or maybe it’ll be over quick. She doesn’t know and it scares her.

Adora wouldn’t be scared, she thinks. Bow might be, but he’d face it like a champ. Neither of them get the chance to live if she doesn’t do this.

She closes her eyes tight as she takes the first steps onto the platform. Something unfamiliar inside her whispers that she must step into the center. Around her, the telltale green rot spreads further and further. She squeezes her eyes shut.

A step forward.

She thinks about Bow and his ever-revolving cast of crop tops, and the smile he’d always saved for her worst days.

Another.

She thinks about her father, the fuzzy memories of warm hands and raucous laughter.

One more.

She thinks about Adora and stops. Let’s herself indulge in her deepest fantasy as the pure energy around her becomes nearly unbearable.

_ She’s in Adoras arms. Adora looks at her, crystal blue eyes peering down into her own. She smiles at Glimmer and it’s blinding, there’s whole worlds in her gaze and not an ounce of the resignation too familiar there. _

_ Adoras hands cup her cheeks, and she leans their foreheads together. _

_ “I’m here.” Adora whispers, voice as soft as her love. “I’m yours.” _

She can hear Adoras voice, beautiful and perfect and almost too real, screaming behind her.

The failsafe activates. Glimmer closes her eyes as it all fades to white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers, you'll notice that as of now, the next chapter will be the last. As much as I'd love, truly love, for this story to go on forever, it's time. I'm considering an epilogue but if that happens it'll likely be it's own story.
> 
> also uh... please tell me what you thought of this chapter in the comments? I know I'm a little sadistic but I love hearing about how I made people cry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW I SAID THIS WOULD BE THE LAST ONE IM SORRY BUT IT WOULD"VE BEEN OVER 8k WORDS IM SORRY

Love had made Adora single minded. Friendship made her strong, destiny made her a warrior. Her past made her determined, focused,  _ righteous. _

Glimmer made her human.

_ Adora I love you Adora I love you Adora I- _

She doesn’t even dismount Swift Wind to slice clean through the monster's tentacle. It’s a blur and a reflex, and by the time it calls out in pain she’s already onto the next.

_ Glimmer loves me,  _ she thinks, and pours herself into resisting another breakdown.

It’s not a surprise, really. Sometimes it was in the way Glimmer looked at her, in moments she didn’t think Adora could see. It had looked like sadness then but Adora gets it now.

But now it’s too late.

Adora winces, tries to distance herself from the pain in her ears as she races further and further down the corridor. She pants heavily, the pain nearly causing her to fall.

She grunts as she swings through yet another monster. 

Whether it’s her own hallucinations from the pain, or another cruel trick from her ancestors, she hears her thoughts ring out beside her.

_ You can’t save her,  _ one snarls,  _ you’re not fast enough. _

Another smirks.  _ So what if you get to her in time? She has to die anyway. _

_ You were never strong enough to protect her _

_ Or her mother _

Adora cringes. “Enough.”

_ You’re not worthy of being She-Ra, you think you’re worthy of her? _

_Of her friendship?_

_ Of her love? _

But another voice, the only one Adora recognizes as her own, responds.

“I  _ am  _ She-Ra.” She heaves, determined. “And I  _ will _ be the hero she deserves.”

The voices shift, morphing into a sinister cackle. Cracks appear along the walls, familiar ugly green light spilling from the crevices.

Adora shudders, the wave of green overtaking her and spreading, racing rapidly ahead. A cold sweat breaks across her back, and she urges Swift Wind faster..

“C’mon, c’mon…” She mutters.

She slashes once more, and her vision tunnels on the pinprick of light she can suddenly see.

She doesn’t care about what Primes doing, doesn't care about the Heart, doesn’t care about Etheria. All she cares about is-

“Glimmer!”

Glimmer has her back turned, and the white glow surrounding her makes her look downright ethereal.

Like a queen, Adora realizes with horror.

Glimmer is radiant, illuminated, an utterly peaceful look on her face.

Her body, still warm, drops limp into Adoras arms.

__________________________________________________________________________

Micah's laughter makes Catra swallow hard, a thousand pinpricks cover her skin and spine.

“What's so funny?” She insists, willing her tail to stop puffing up. “You do know that’s your wife, right?”

“She was nothing to me.” Micah continues his chuckling. It’s unnerving. “Nothing but a coward and a heretic.”

“What terrible traits to pass on.” He sighs, finally ending his laughing spiel. “No matter, soon they will both be gone.”   


He levels her with a terrible smile. “And all of Etheria with them.”

His green eyes are soulless as he smirks down at her, at the shivers that run through her.

She reacts instantly, jerking her claw out from under the clones boot and swiping faster than any of them can blink.

Micah backs up, but not far enough. She digs her claws into his jaw and  _ rips. _

He hisses in pain, and the clones immediately move to subdue her once more.

But then they don’t.

It’s Hordaks body that she can see on the cliff not too far away. But it’s Prime on the inside. She knows it like she knows her name.

“Brothers,” Micah says calmly, wiping the blood from his cheek. “Go assist Lord Prime. I will deal with this scum.”

The clones nod before rushing towards Prime. Catra almost wants to follow them, the programming from the chip still a little etched into her brain.

“You know, Glimmers really the only one allowed to call me that.” Catra unsheathes her claws. “And you just made a  _ big  _ mistake.”

Micah flips his wrist, and pitch black vines shoot out towards her. She darts away, but not before one wraps around her ankle.

She hisses as it  _ burns  _ and she falls to the ground, feeling herself being dragged away.

She grabs at it with her free hand, slices through it. There’s an almost imperceptible wince to Micah's face as the piece falls away. But it passes immediately, and he shoots a blast towards her.

_ Interesting. _

“You think you’re the first person to use dark magic to hurt me?” Catra yells as she dodges. “Not even close.”

“Ah, my old teacher!” Micah grins. “That witch.”

Catra smirks. “Finally, something we agree on.” 

Micah smiles, smugly. “The one you were never good enough for.”

“Ugh,” Catra groans. “I’ve heard another of that from myself, can’t you give me a rest?”

“Why are you even trying?!” Micah shoots two blasts, and the second one catches her in the shoulder. She goes down hard.

“You were never strong enough.” Micah cackles, his composure slipping. “Not enough for Shadow Weaver, not for Ad-”   


Catra gets in a solid punch to the gut, just for that one.

“If you think this is about me,” She starts, flipping away again. “Then you’re dumber than I thought.”

“Glimmer seems to think that I'll make up for everything that I’ve done.” She scurries quickly to avoid the next whip-like vine. “She’ll be insufferable about it, but I’d like to start proving her right”

“Good luck redeeming yourself to a corpse!”

At that, Catra feels something she hasn’t since… since her last real conversation with Glimmer.

_ Rage. _

She flies into a flurry of movement, wishing for a second that she’d had Melogs invisibility with her. 

“Aw, am I being too  _ emotional  _ for Horde Prime?” She asks, sickly sweet and sarcastic as she lands a blow to his left leg. “Well, that's just too bad.”

Micah winces, casts a tornado of dark magic around himself as a cocoon. Catra brings her arms around her face to shield herself as the wind whips in front of her.

“If you think this is gonna stop me, you got another thing coming.” And then she jumps in.

She lands behind Micah, who falls to his knees but glares at her.

“Doesn’t it hurt you to use dark magic!” She yells over the deafening wind. “How much more can you really take?!”

“I,” Micah pants. “I am… more than willing to die.. for Horde Prime…”

“No.” Catras eyes steel and soften at the same time. “No you aren’t.”

“I’ve been where you are,” She calls out, moving closer. Micah thrashes towards her but she does not flinch. “In pain, thoughts in my head that aren’t mine. Controlled by dark magic.

“But you’ve got something I don’t.”

Micah stills, falling limp. His eyes shift rapidly between dark pools and green seas.

“Your daughter needs you. And I won’t let you give up on her.” 

_ Plenty of people have given up on me, and look where it got us. _

Catra looks up at Micah as she strikes her final blow. The searing rage on his face belies what she knows is underneath. The pain and trauma will hurt. But he will not die.

“I won’t let Sparkles lose another parent.”

Micah falls to the ground, limp. The inky tendrils surrounding his body hiss and spin before fading away.

She reaches out hesitantly, touching his arm first before his neck. His pulse is thready but strong. He’ll be unconscious for awhile, but-

The King spasms in her arms as the chip on his neck begins to spark and curl up.

Bow activated the program, she realizes. She breathes a sigh of relief she didn’t know she was holding.

And then she sneezes.

She looks around, confused. Around her, tiny, softly glowing balls rise up from the ground around her. They look almost fuzzy to the touch, and seem to move with a mind of their own

_ Magic. _

Catra hangs her head, lets sorrow consume her for a quick moment. 

Glimmers gone. 

She digs her claws into her palms and feels the blood run red hot. Tries to suppress the rage boiling over inside of her before it spills into something irreversible.

It doesn’t work. She forces herself to breathe, and lets the tears run down her face.

She releases Micah and shoves herself back, falling on the ground. She sobs, gasps for breath as she claws at herself, searching desperately for relief from the overwhelming  _ pain  _ she feels.

Beside her, Micah stirs. She can’t bring herself to care.

Regret floods her system, so new and sharp it feels akin to being impaled. She’s nothing but a failure, she didn’t fight hard enough and now Glimmer is  _ gone.  _

_ Gone gone gone gone gone  _

Catra slaps her hands over her ears, willing the thoughts away. She gasps for breath, tries to steady herself, but the grief just keeps flowing.

_ “Really? I’m disappointed.” _

Catra flinches, eyes wide open. She’d said those words to Glimmer once, teasing but heavy. But now she hears Glimmer voice, soft and kind, repeating them back to her.

Disappointed?

Catra pushes herself to her feet, and stands. 

The land around her feels alive with warmth and color, the world so bright it almost hurts her eyes. The magic floats free around her. Nearby, Adoras- no,  _ her  _ friends begin to wake up, groaning and rubbing their eyes.

This is the world Glimmer fought for, she realizes. The one she’d given up everything for.

Catra makes herself a promise, right then and there. With a new world, comes a new Catra. No more hurting people. No more hurting herself.

Glimmer had made the ultimate sacrifice to get them all there. Catra won’t squander it.

“Wildcat?”

Etheria is safe. Now the real work begins.

________________________________________________________________________

Death, as it turns out, looks a lot like the Whispering Woods.

When the whiteness fades from her eyes, Glimmer blinks, confused. The sky above her is filled with stars, a brilliant eternal purple sunset. The grass beneath her feet and the leaves above her wave in an intangible wind that she cannot feel.

She pauses, draws in a deep breath, and waits. Seconds tick by, then a whole minute. Two, and she releases. No burning in her lungs, no vision swimming with grey. She glances down.

The failsafe is gone.

So this is real.

There’s a thousand mind-shattering implications to consider, and apparently an eternity to ponder them.

But there’s an old woman too, apparently, and she takes advantage of Glimmer's profound comprehension to knock her on the head with a rather large stick.

Glimmer doesn’t feel the pain, but the loud  _ bonk  _ snaps her out of her reverie.

“Hey!” She jumps back. “What was that for?!”

The old woman breaks into a large grin, throwing out her arms. “Gelly dearie! You’ve come to help me plant my garden!”

“It’s Glimmer, actually.” She rubs the spot on her head where the stick hit, marveling at how she feels nothing. “Who are you?”

The woman rambles. 

Glimmer zones out, choosing to instead study the woman before her. The old woman has long, bushy white hair and purple skin. She’s shorter than Glimmer, wearing long robes that brush the ground. Thick glasses cover her eyes.

“You’re… Razz.” Glimmer realizes. “I’ve heard about you from… from Ad-”

Razz knocks her over the head again. “Oh, not another story about your pretty wife. We have violets to plant!”

Glimmer jumps back, defensive. “She’s not my wife!”

The old woman doesn’t respond, muttering to herself. Glimmer catches the words  _ flower  _ and  _ pie  _ before Razz scurries off into the forest

Glimmer decides to follow her, because at this point, what's the worst that could happen?

The woods she’s known her whole life feel unfamiliar to her now. Their shapes are different, and if she looks hard enough she can see a faint pink light surrounding them.

“So if I’m dead… and you’re here…” Glimmer looks at the woman in front of her. “Razz, I’m so sorry.”

The woman waves her off. “Dearie, hold these baskets for me, yes?”

Razz holds out one of her bracelets towards Glimmer. She takes it. Razz smiles, then hurries off ahead.

The old woman is clearly not in her right mind, Glimmer acknowledges. But then again, she’d meant something to Adora, and it saddens Glimmer that she’s dead.

But something isn’t right. Razz walks the unseen trails as if she’s memorized them, her footfalls carefree and striding. Her hands reach out to grab a branch before her eyes fall upon it. She reaches under leaves and around tree trunks with confidence. It’s as if she’s intimately familiar with this landscape, each burrow and crevice.

Glimmer narrows her eyes. Does… does she even know she’s dead? Does Razz know what happened to her?

Glimmer looks up to find that Razz has vanished. She panics, twisting and turning frantically.

Suddenly, she reappears, jumping out from behind a tree. Glimmer sighs with relief and frustration.

“Hey, please don’t leave me alone here.” Glimmer huffs. “I’m kinda new at this.”

“Look what I got!” Razz hops from left to right, waving her hand around excitedly.

Glimmer rolls her eyes, bemused, and walks towards her.

And then she stops cold.

In Razz’s shriveled purple hand, rests the hilt of the sword of protection.

Glimmers breathing hitches, staring at the jagged end. Once upon a time she’d fought Adora for it, only to hand it right back and trust the universe that she was making the right decision.

It was, and since then she’s watched Adora wield it countless times, shining and irrevocable. Noble, proud, fearless. The sword was an extension of her body, a link to her soul.

And now it’s broken, shattered into pieces across time and space. The blue stone is cracked, the gold details dulled and chipped. Only bare beginnings of the blade peek out from it’s setting, the very beginning of words she’ll never read.

Adora had broken it. To save Etheria and herself, to stop the plans of the First Ones.

For her, Glimmer thinks as her throat tightens. To fix mistakes Glimmers finally atoned for.

Oh god, Adora…

Glimmer reaches a shaking hand towards the hilt.

Razz snatches her hand back. “This is my shovel! Find your own!”

“It’s not a shovel!”

Glimmer lunges for the hilt, elbowing Razz in the side. Immediately she feels a wave of regret, and the hilt falls to her side.

“Razz, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Glimmer hangs her head.

“You’re hurting, dearie.” Razz winces. “No need to hurt me back.”

“You… you felt that?” Glimmer looks up, furroughs her eyebrows. “How did you feel?”

The twin blows Razz had dealt her should have been enough to knock her out at the very least. And yet, fingers rising to the back of her head, she felt nothing. No pain.

She considers the hilt in her hand. It’s solid, and no matter how hard she stares, there’s no pink glow surrounding it. It looks… normal.

Glimmer levels her with a glare. “Where did you get this?”

Razz smiles sadly. “Ah, my Mara gave it to me. Such a sweet girl, she was.”

_ Mara? She-Ra Mara??? _

“How… How did you get it here?” Glimmer asks.

Razz guffaws and slaps her arms. “Gelly dearie, this is no time for jokes!”

“It’s not a joke!” Glimmer shouts. “How did Mara get the sword and how did you bring it here?!”

“From home, Gelly!”

Glimmer stops. Is it possible? Maybe… 

“Razz,” She suggests sweetly, “I know about a beautiful patch of pink carnations near Bright Moon, maybe you could take me to see them?”

Razz swings around, tawdles towards her and gets right in Glimmer's face. She squints. For an instant, her eyes are perfectly clear and maybe, just maybe, Glimmer thinks the old woman knows more than she’s letting on.

But the moment ends as quickly as it begins, and she claps her hands together excitedly.

“Of course Gelly dearie! So pretty for my garden!”

Glimmer nods, slow and careful. “Lead the way, then.”

Her heart races and she follows Razz ever deeper into the forest. Somehow, some way, Razz had made it into this place while still being alive, and then went back into the world of the living to bring back the sword of protection. It’s impossible, but Glimmer understands better than most that what’s possible and what isn’t means nothing where magic is concerned.

Razz stops suddenly, so abrupt that Glimmer nearly slams into her. The old woman smacks her forehead and immediately begins walking to their left.

“I can’t believe I forgot the sugar!” Razz laughs at herself. “Silly old lady.”

Glimmer forces a fake smile. “But Razz, we’re gardening. We don’t need sugar.”

Razz guffaws and Glimmer wants to scream. “Silly Gelly, of course we need it!”

“It’s Glimmer.” she forces out through grit teeth.

Razz ignores her and strolls leisurely in the wrong direction. Glimmer sighs, dragging her hand down her face.

As she shuffles along after the old woman, Glimmer tries not to think about… about anything. Not Prime, not her father and her friends, and especially not Adora. Attempting help from Razz is a long shot, even by her standards. More likely than not, her sacrifice is as permanent as she’d meant it to be.

But Etheria is safe now, she knows. Prime will lose his only advantage over the Rebellion. And by now, Entrapta must have activated the program. So her friends are finally, finally safe, at least in part due to her.

Too bad she’ll never see them again.

Glimmer wills away the thoughts, instead choosing to focus on the trek ahead of her.

“Any chance you’d like to tell me where we’re going?” Glimmer tries.

Razz squints, looking around. Suddenly her faces brightens and she runs forward.

“We’re here!” She calls out over her shoulder before disappearing through some long grass.

Glimmer charges after her, crashing through the grass and into a small clearing.

She grumbles. “Razz, I didn’t exactly get the chance to bring spare clothes with me. Could you please-”

For the second time in her life, Glimmer entire being stops and she just  _ stares.  _

_ “Mom?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, next one WILL be the last chapter. I swear.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

Adora doesn’t remember what happens after finding Glimmer, but abruptly she’s She-Ra, and standing at the threshold of the temple.

The sounds of the night are silent. No roars of canons or whrs of dark magic, no screaming and no sounds of anguish.

The battle’s over.

“Adora!”   


Her head snaps to the side. Bow sprints towards her, tossing himself over the edge of the crater. The spire that hangs above them looks decrepit and broken.

Much like Adora herself.

Bow stops dead in his tracks and stares at her, and the only way Adora can describe it is  _ horror.  _

“Bow…”   


“Adora?” Micah appears at the crest alongside Bow. “Is that you? What happened?”

Adoras organs turn to liquid as the rest of the Alliance, including Scorpia and Mermista follow him to the top.

Perfuma screams and Frosta stumbles back into Scorpia, and Glimmer is dead in her arms

One arm is curled limply over her stomach, the other hangs straight down. Her head hangs limp, her neck bent awkwardly.

“I’m sorry.” 

Micah lets out a pure, anguished  _ wail  _ as he runs toward her and takes Glimmer from her arms, sinking down to the ground and hunching over her body.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

The rest of the Princesses gather around them, Mermista cautiously and Perfuma in tears, and Bow-

Bow grasps her shoulders. “Adora, look at me.”

She can’t. All she can see is Glimmer, and all she can feel is regret. Shame. Anger and  _ pain. _

_ Adora I love you. _

“She’s gone.” Adora can’t cry, can’t scream, can’t even process the fact that Glimmer isn’t sleeping and isn’t waking up.

Bow is crying, but he wraps her in a hug. “I know.”

His kindness nearly breaks her.

“I failed.”  
  
“No.” Bow grips her shoulders tighter. “No, you didn’t”  
  
His kindness makes her feel nothing but more shame, and suddenly she can’t breathe.

“I did.” She can’t bring herself to hug him back, she stands still as a statue.

Bow opens his mouth to say something, but Adora doesn’t hear it.

Her eyes narrow and buzzing rings in her ears. It’s Prime that stands on a cliff gesturing rapidly to the remaining gaggles of confused clones, but he wears Hordaks skin.

Her sorrow turns to  _ rage  _ and she throws off Bow's arms.

“Stay here.”

She-Ra is a warrior, but Adora is a soldier. She marches past the members of the Rebellion, and they part right down the middle to make way for her.

How dare he.

How dare he trample over their lives and loves, separate families and friends alike.

How dare he act as those the bodies and wills of Etheria were his to control.

How dare he pose and posture when Glimmer is dead, when she’d died to try and stop him and free everyone trapped under him?

Horde Prime had cast such a looming shadow over Etheria, over most of the universe. And now, She-Ra sees that it comes from nothing but a small, small man.

“You… are… nothing…” Prime wheezes. “Dirt beneath my feet.”

Adora says nothing, summons her sword.

Prime sneers as she points it at him. “You could never.”

Adora glares at him, eyes stony steel cold. “I’m not.”

She closes her eyes. “It’s time for you to go.”

Light flares behind her eyelids, and she hears a scream before Prime is finally, finally silent.

When she looks at the twitching figure on the ground, she sees that the green has faded from his eyes, red returning to the soulless sockets.

Glimmer would want Hordak dead too. But Glimmers not here.

“I…” Hordak blinks, recognition coming over his unglazed eyes. “I remember you.”

Adora nods and guides him to his feet, steps back as Entrapta throws herself at Hordak in utter joy.

Adora barely spares them a nod before she runs.

______________________________________________________________________________

Glimmer feels bile rising in her throat, vision tunneling on the sight before her.

“Prime, if this is a trick I swear I’ll kill you.” She backs up, staring.

The finer details of her mother had worn away with time. The smell of her perfume, the point of her chin. The curve of her smile.

Glimmer shakes down to her very soul. It’s too much.

Angella smiles serenely, reaches a hand out towards her daughter and  _ mom mom mom mom. _

“It’s not a trick.” Angellas eyes water. “My Glimmer, you’ve grown so much.”

“How do I know it's really you?” Despite her caution, Glimmer takes a step forward. “Tell me something only yo-  _ my mother  _ would know.”

Angella pauses, retracts her hand and brings it to her chin, elegantly thoughtful. A gleam comes over her eyes and a wistful smile passes over her face.

“When you were five years old,” She starts, “You decided that you wanted to learn magic.”

Glimmer's heart tightens. Angella continues. “But you decided you wanted to do it your own way, like always.”

Angella chuckles, and Glimmer nearly falls to her knees. “So you snuck out in the middle of the night with just a flashlight and a knapsack filled with cookies stolen from the kitchen. Raspberry flavored, if I remember correctly.”

“Oh, how I panicked the next morning.” Angella smiles into her hand. “I was ready to sign over my whole kingdom just to find you, I was so worried. We looked everywhere, didn’t find you until nightfall.”

Angella looks at her then, face straight out of Glimmers dreams and nightmares and  _ memories _ , smiling.

“Do you remember where you were?”

_ Oh my god, this is real. _

“You’d teleported for the very first time, straight into my bed.”

Glimmer cracks, let the walls she’s built up in the last few months come crumbling down around her because  _ that’s my  _ **_mom_ ** _ and she’s  _ **_here_ ** _. _

Wordlessly, Glimmer drops the hilt and the bracelet, and rushes towards her mother. Her knees give out halfway through. 

She lands right where she belongs.

Angella sinks down to her knees, clutching Glimmer tightly to her chest. Long fingers comb frantically through her hair, pull her ever closer. Glimmer clings so tightly she thinks she hears something crack, but she can’t find it in her to care. Soft pink wings wrap tightly around them both. It’s so achingly familiar and perfectly solid that Glimmer thinks she might just pass out.

“Mom!” There’s never been a better reason to cry, and so she sobs. “You’re here!”

“Oh, my Glimmer.” Her mother murmurs, tears falling down her face. “What are  _ you  _ doing here?”

“It’s kind of a long story.” Glimmer buries her face in her mother's neck, breaths in that achingly familiar scent of gardenias and citrus. “But I guess we have time.”

“Oh sweetheart,” Angella squeezes a little tighter before pulling back, cradling Glimmer's face in her hands. “I know.”

“You do?” Glimmer looks up at her mother with big shining eyes. “About…?

“I know about the failsafe.” Angella takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I know about everything.”

“Everything?” Glimmer grasps her mother's wrists. “Then… Dad…”

“I know, sweetheart. I know.” Angella nods, fresh tears spilling down her face. “How could you do that to yourself?”

“I’m sorry.” Glimmers heart breaks. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“It was never your fault.” Angella says, rubbing the tears from Glimmers cheeks. “Never.”

“I never should’ve listened to Shadow Weaver. Maybe that would’ve-”

Angella shakes her head. “Glimmer, listen to me. What happened with the portal, what happened to me was not your fault.”

“I know.” Glimmer sniffs. “I do. But it  _ hurts  _ so bad.”

“My Glimmer.” Angella says fondly. “I’m sorry I had to make that decision for you.”

Glimmer chuckles wetly. “I guess it’s a family trait.”

Angella doesn’t say anything for a long while, and they just hold each other.

______________________________________________________________________________

Adoras never begged for anything in her entire life.

She’d worked her way to force captain, she’d  _ earned  _ her place in the Rebellion as a leader, and she’d let her blood, sweat, and tears speak for themselves as She-Ra.

But Glimmer's eyes are closed. Her head sags against Micahs chest, and her skin is turning pale. Her heart’s not beating, her lips aren’t smiling, her hands are turning cold and stiff.

Adora drops to her knees and  _ pleads. _

She registers, distantly, the rest of the Rebellion gather around them. But all she can see is Micah, and the precious cargo in his arms.

“Micah.” Adora stretches her arms, reaching but not touching. “ _ Please. _ ”

Neither of them can tear their eyes away from what’s in his arms, Micah clutches her tight, and his  _ grief  _ is written so openly on his face-

“I have to fix this.” Her voice cracks, panic seeping in. “Let me  _ try.” _

Micah tears his eyes away slowly, streaming salt tears. The pure, unyielding dread and distress in his eyes is enough to start Adora crying too.

Micah trembles, reaching a tentative hand to Glimmers bangs and brushing them carefully away from her cold forehead.

_ This is all I have left. I can’t lose this too _

Adora falters, her world spinning off its axis and plunging, deep and dark. “I can’t…” 

_ I can’t do this I can’t fix this I can’t save her I can’t- _

_ “ _ I love her.” Adora bares her heart, broken and bleeding. “Please, I  _ love her _ and I can’t lose her without  _ trying.” _

Something winks into existence in Micahs eyes. An unnerved, anguished comprehension that makes Adora shudder.

And then he moves.

His arms and shoulder move so slowly Adora swears she can hear them creak, shifting with the pace of mountains. It’s too slow and she catches herself before she can snatch Glimmer away from him.

At the same time, it's too fast. She doesn’t know what she’s doing, there’s no plan and it hurts just to look at her, what the hell is she even thinking?

And then Glimmers in her arms and she  _ understands. _

Adora gathers Glimmer into her arms gently, like she’ll break at the slightest touch. One arm beneath her knees, the other at the small of her back. Her head droops, and so Adora cradles it against her shoulder.

She looks so utterly peaceful, as though she hadn’t just destroyed herself to save the world. If Adora tries hard enough, she can imagine Glimmer asleep, just about to wake and give Adora a reason to fight another day.

But there’s no one left to fight, the time of smashing and violence is over. The world needs something else out of She-Ra now.

Adoras world needs something else.

_ I love you. _

Adora closes her eyes, leans her forehead down

_ Open your eyes and see the world you worked for _

She thinks about the girl in her arms

_ Strived for _

Her passion

_ Broke and rebuilt yourself for _

Her stubbornness

_ It’s yours now. _

Her unyielding desperation for forgiveness and for peace

_ Im yours, now _

The Alliance and Micah cover their eyes as golden light envelops them all.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“It’s time for you to go, Glimmer.”

Glimmers blood turns to ice. “What? Go where?”

“Go back.” Angella looks at her like she’s trying to burn every detail of her face to memory. “Go home.”

“No.” Glimmer shakes her head. “No, I won’t leave you here.”

Angella looks at her sadly, fondly. “Glimmer, I-”

“No!” Glimmer throws herself on her mother's shoulder. “Please, I can’t lose you again.”

Angella puts one of her hands between Glimmer's shoulder blades, cradling her like she’s an infant. “You’ve never lost me. Never.”

“Please.” Glimmer whimpers. “I just got you back.”

“You’ve always had my love. No matter what.” Angella brushes the hair out of Glimmer's face. “Do you remember when I told you that I would not consign you to my regrets? Of giving up after your father died?"

“Of course I do.” 

Angella smiles, serenely sad. “I won’t consign them to anyone else, either.”

“I stopped fighting after I thought your father died.” Angellas eyes turn steely. “And I will not let that happen twice.”

Glimmer opens her mouth to question but Angella cuts her off. “Would you really leave your father, your friends,  _ Adora  _ behind?”

Glimmer looks up sharply. “You knew?”

“My love, you are not as subtle as you think you are.” Angella smiles, a little mischievous. “I knew from the very first day you brought her home. Even if you didn’t.”

“She looked at you the way your father looked at me, once upon a time.” Angella sighs. “And I was so scared for you, as if you were five years old and lost again.”

“I was a coward, and it cost me a life with your father.” Angella pauses, as though it pains her to say. “But you’ve always been so much braver than me. And I won’t let you throw away your chance to be happy.”

Words fail Glimmer, she opens her mouth then closes it again, preventing a wail from falling out. The thought of a world, devoid of Adora in the way it had once been of her father is… soul crushing. It makes her hurt, truly hurt, for the first time since she’s arrived here.

“It’s alright now.” Angella leans her forehead against Glimmers. “You can let her be your future.”

“... What if I mess it all up again?” Glimmer sniffles. “What if they can’t ever forgive me for what I’ve done?”

“Then you decide to fix it.” Angellas answer is simple, succinct. “You’ve always held such strong convictions, I don’t see why that should stop you now.”

“Though,” She states, glancing around them at the not-quite living world, “Perhaps not to this degree.”

Glimmer sniffs. “I’m terrible at making decisions, they all seem to turn out awful.”

“Oh Glimmer, that’s not true.” Angella chuckles. “Bad decisions do seem to run in the family, I suppose. But they brought you here.”

“You saved Etheria,” Angella continues, “And it’s time for you to let someone save  _ you. _ ”

“So everyone’s… safe?” The wave of pure  _ relief  _ nearly bowls Glimmer over. “Really safe?”

Angella smiles, bemused. “Yes. And if you haven’t learned by now that they’ll do anything to get you back, then I’m not sure what to tell you.”

_ They’re still trying to save her. _

It’s not the forgiveness she’s so craved, but it’s a start.

“Isn’t there some way for you to come with me?” Glimmer presses herself tighter into her mother. “I don’t know how Razz got in here, but maybe she can figure a way to get you out?"

“Razz?” Angellas eyes furrow. “Sweetheart, there’s no one here but us.”

“What? But…” Glimmer pauses. “Right. Magic.” 

“I’ve made my decision, and it’s unfortunately rather permanent.” Angella pulls her forehead away for just a second. “But Glimmer, you must know that I love you, more than anything. No matter our differences, I would never,  _ ever _ have changed a thing.”

“I know, Mom.” Glimmer struggles to say around her tears. “I love you. Thank for… for  _ everything _ .”

“Glimmer.” Angella says her name slowly, revenant. “Tell your father...”

Angella pauses, and for the first time in her whole life Glimmer can see the pure despair in her mother's eyes. It warps the whole of her face, cracking her affectionate veneer.

“I..”

“It’s okay.” Glimmer smiles, grasping her wrist. “I know.”

Angella gives her a watery smile and leans in, lips soft as silk against Glimmers hairline.

The edges of Glimmer vision begin fading to white, and as she nearly loses consciousness, she hears her mother's true last words.

“I’m so proud of you, my Glimmer of hope.”

_________________________________________________________________________

She-Ra  _ burns  _ with light. It streams out of every inch of her skin, blinding and iridescent.

When it fades, She-Ra fades back to Adora, and she gasps for breath.

Her friends gather closer, wide-eyed. Bow nearly stops breathing.

Shaking, Adora brings one hand to the side of Glimmer's neck and the other to her wrist, pressing ever so gently.

Adora tries to slow down the beating of her own heart, and listens

If this didn’t work…

And then a miracle happens, and Adora is enraptured.

Glimmer's heart beats soft and thready, right next to her own.

She’s  _ safe. _

_ They’re all safe. _

“You did it.” Adora chuckles, relief curling inside her chest and making a home there. “He’s gone.”

Glimmer doesn’t move, and for a second Adora feels her world going dark.

But then Glimmer groans in her arms, legs twitching as she buries her face in Adoras shoulder, the bright light of the new world apparently too much for her.

Micah chokes on his tears, and distantly she hears whooping and cheering from the other members of the Alliance. But for now, and maybe for the rest of her life, all Adora can see is Glimmer.

“A… Adora?” Glimmers eyes flutter open, unfocused as they look at her face.

Adora laughs, watery and joyful. “It’s me, Glimmer. I’m here.”

Glimmer wheezes, trying to reacquaint her lungs with air. “Are you okay?”

Adora kisses her.

It's quick and spontaneous and Adora pulls away all too soon. Glimmer wonders where her mother is, certainly she just died again because  _ Adora just kissed her.  _

“Sorry.” Adora pulls away too quickly and Glimmer wants to follow her like lightning follows thunder in a storm. “Sorry, I should’ve-”

“Don’t.” Glimmers hand grasps the one holding her arms. Her eyes are wide as sauces and shining _.  _ “Don’t be sorry.”

Adora feels  _ so much  _ and she wants even more. Wants to laugh and scream and cry and tell Glimmer about every last bit of how she’s feeling right now because it's  _ glorious. _

But there’s finally a time for all that, and it’s not right now.

“He’s gone. Horde Prime, he’s… he’s gone.”

“We’ve… we’ve got a lot to talk about.” Adora tries, really tries to put Glimmer down, but she’s not ready just yet. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“You brought me back.” Glimmer smiles. “You saved me.”

Adora almost catches herself leaning down for another kiss, and she thinks Glimmer might just be leaning up to meet her,  _ neat. _

And then there’s a hand almost beside Adoras on Glimmer's arm.

Micah shakes, tears still running down his face and hand outstretched. Near, and so afraid to touch. Like he’s afraid Glimmer will vanish again at the slightest touch.

“Glimmer?” His voice barely above a whisper.

“Dad…” Glimmer drinks him in, tall and broad with the features she’s recognized on her own face for years. His mural is nothing compared to the real thing.

“Glimmer… I…”

“Dad!”

Glimmer flies out of Adoras arms and into her fathers. She throws her arms around his neck and squeezes like he’s going to vanish the second she lets go.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Glimmer cries, clutching him even tighter. “Everyone thought you were gone!”

“You  _ were  _ gone.” Micah sniffles. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve been there.”

“It’s not your fault.” Glimmer marvels at how remarkably similar their crying sounds. “We’re here now.”

Micah looks into her eyes, and Glimmer traces the shape of his face and mentally imposes them over her own. How incredibly surreal utterly wonderful utterly wonderful it is to notice his little details

“Your… your mom” Micah pauses. “I can’t believe… baby girl, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”

The nickname brings out old, long forgotten memories that Glimmer can only describe as  _ warm.  _

“That wasn’t your fault either.”

Glimmer smiles up at him, despite the words in her throat drowning in a sea of

“Mom said to tell you that she loves you.”

Micah looks like he’s been punched in the gut, his face contorts into pain and he holds her even tighter.

“Thank you.” Micah sobs into her shoulder. “Thank you.”

What exactly she’s being thanked for, she doesn’t know. But after they’ve weathered their mutual storm of despair and mourning, she’ll ask him.

They stay like that for a long, long while. It’s still not enough to make up for all the hugs she’s missed. But now he’ll be there when she needs him, and she can try to be content with that.

“Okay.” He pats her back and then tries to pull away. “Go on.”

His eyes are still red and puffy, so the wink is even less convincing. “Your friends are waiting.”

It's the second time in one day that one of her parents have pushed her away, towards her friends. Glimmer couldn’t be more relieved that this one isn’t permanent.

“Okay.” Glimmer pulls away and stands, offering him a hand. “But I’ll be back later.”

“Could… Could you tell me about Mom? When I get back?” Glimmer askes shyly. “There’s stuff I never knew about her and… I wanna know.”

Micah's eyes turn impossibly soft. “It would be my honor.”

Glimmer gives him one last, long look. And then she shooes him off playfully, off to join the mini celebration that's sprung up.

She turns, taking in the scenery around her, before the edge of a small cliff catches her attention.

Catra and Adora sit side by side on the edge, staring out over the edge.

Once upon a time the sight would’ve made her nervous, jealous even. 

But Adora just kissed her, and saved her, and her sincerity and principles are undeniable.

“Hey.”

Glimmer looks to her side, and Bow looks back.

“Hey.” She smiles at him. 

Awkwardness creeps in, something she’s never experienced with Bow before.

And then they move in tandem, she leaps into his arms and he accepts her gratefully, swinging her around as they both laugh.

Just like Adora, there’s a lot that the two of them need to talk about. But between best friends, something there are things that don’t need to be said.

“Room for two more?” Catra asks as she and Adora draw near. “I sure hope not.”

Glimmer rolls her eyes. “Let's sit. Im exhausted.”  
Bow doesn’t quite let go of her, and Adora leans against her side. Catra looks hesitant for physical content, but throws her legs over all three of theirs.

“So this is peace.” Glimmer hums. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah.” Adora smiles at her. “I like it.”

“So, what happens now?” Bow asks.

It’s a question none of them can really answer.

“Rebuild Salineas.” Glimmer suggests, and smiles reassuringly at Catra as her ears flatten. “Clean up the Fright Zone, learn about this new magic. Get old and figure out how to cope with that.”

“I’ve never really known life without the war.” Adora admits, looking out over the glowing landscape. “What do we even  _ do _ ?”

The words spill out of Glimmer, boldly, before she can stop them. “Wanna find out?”   


Adora turns red as Bow and Catra snicker. 

“Uh.” Glimmer stammers. “Thats- I... um…”

“I love you too.” Adora blurts out. “I didn’t get the chance to say it before but… I love you too. In case it wasn’t obvious.”

“Oh.” Glimmer melts. “Good.”

“Yeah.” Adora smiles warmly at her, and takes her hand in hers. “Very good.”

Catra groans. “Can you not?”

Bow looks close to squealing, and Glimmer swears she sees hearts in his eyes. Catra groans louder.

Bow throws his arms around Catra, who rolls her eyes but lets him. 

Adora laughs and Glimmer's heart sings. Adora throws her free arm around Catra and tugs on her arm to bring her into the hold, but Glimmer hesitates.

“So, does… does this mean you all forgive me?” Glimmer asks. “I understand if you can’t and if you don’t… well, I’m here now and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be someone you can forgive.”

Shame crosses her face. “I… I’m sorry I took the failsafe. I never, ever meant to hurt you guys, ever. I just… I couldn’t live with the guilt for bringing Prime here. But that wasn’t the right way to deal with it. I’m sorry.”

No one says anything. Adora clutches her hand tighter and looks frantically at Bow, who looks back like he’s barely holding back even more tears.

Catra reaches forward, looks her dead in the eyes, and flicks her hard in the forehead.

“You’re forgiven. Now bring it in.”

“But-”

“Glimmer.” Adora tugs her again. This time she lets her. “It’s okay.”

“We’re just glad you’re here.” Bow wraps his other arm around her. “We can figure out the rest later.”

They love her. They’re not mad at her and they… they forgive her.

Glimmer wraps her other arm around Bow and squeezes Adoras hand again.

They fall into comfortable silence, and none of them are really ready to let go yet.

“I think we should bring magic back to the universe.” Adora pipes up. “At least, I think She-Ra should. If she can… I think I should.”

Glimmer kisses her this time, as Catra violently tries to scurry away and Bow holds her in place.

Glimmer kisses Adora because she is brave, and noble, and sometimes a little stupid. Her kindness is overwhelming and Glimmer loves her more than she’s ever loved anything.

“I’m going with you.” Glimmer says as she pulls away. “I mean, as much as I can outside of ruling Bright Moon, but… I’m not letting you be alone anymore.”

“I’m going too.” Bow smiles. “But not like that.”

“Of course I’m going with you, dummy.” Catras words are scolding but her tone is sincere. “I’ve got some business to settle with space.”

“With... space?” Bow looks at her confused. “But-”

“With. Space.” Catra glares at him. “Don’t question me, archer boy.”

Adora laughs, and then Bow laughs, and Catra doesn’t laugh but she smiles and that’s close enough. _ I don’t care where we go,  _ Glimmer thinks as she looks at her friends,  _ As long as I have you, I’m home. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodbyes are hard. This isn’t one.
> 
> Look, I’m not… great at talking about feelings. So it’s hard for me to articulate exactly how I felt about season five.
> 
> On one hand, there’s a reason my favorite character is Glimmer, and it’s the whole reason i wrote this in the first place. I have a hard time forgiving myself too. I was extremely disappointed with a lot of ways the season was handled, particularly concerning Angella and Catras redemption. In a lot of ways, it just didn’t make sense to me, whole storylines just getting dropped or waved away.
> 
> On the other, if I could’ve seen two girls kissing on tv when I was younger… well, I don’t think I would’ve made a couple of those decisions that I can’t forgive myself for. I have so much respect for Noelle and the rest of the crew, I can’t imagine how hard it was for them to get that to happen.
> 
> I think it’s possible to be both happy at the representation and disappointed at how certain storylines turned out (and I’m not just saying that as a shipper).
> 
> That being said, I’m not quite done with this yet. I want to do an epilogue for sure, so keep an eye out for that. Definitely something with Catra and Mermista. And so many of you were so intrigued by the idea of Glimmer actually dying, I'm considering an AU… for my AU. Haha… 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who’s read this, enjoyed it, and left such wonderful feedback. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve spent most of the last month rereading your comments over and over again.This is the first fic I’ve written that I’m truly proud of, that I truly enjoyed writing, and It never would’ve happened without all of you. Thank you so,so much

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [When I'm Gone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26817427) by [Say_Anything](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Say_Anything/pseuds/Say_Anything)




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